Burford Capital Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:BUR)

Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 3,755 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 311% compared to the average volume of 914 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on BUR shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 21st. Zacks Research raised shares of Burford Capital from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, B. Riley reissued a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.00.

Burford Capital Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of Burford Capital stock traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $9.77. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 629,689 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,373,255. The business has a fifty day moving average of $9.10 and a 200 day moving average of $11.45. Burford Capital has a 1-year low of $8.19 and a 1-year high of $15.73. The company has a quick ratio of 14.99, a current ratio of 14.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $2.14 billion, a PE ratio of 25.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.17 and a beta of 0.59.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.09) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.39). Burford Capital had a return on equity of 2.71% and a net margin of 18.42%.The business had revenue of $69.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $136.03 million. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Burford Capital will post 1.28 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Burford Capital

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BUR. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Burford Capital by 3,454.8% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 874,259 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,798,000 after acquiring an additional 849,665 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Burford Capital in the fourth quarter valued at $125,000. Mirabella Financial Services LLP acquired a new stake in Burford Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,316,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. purchased a new stake in Burford Capital during the 3rd quarter worth $257,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its stake in Burford Capital by 55.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 15,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,000 after buying an additional 5,450 shares during the period.

Burford Capital Company Profile

Burford Capital (NYSE: BUR) is a leading global finance firm that specializes in litigation and arbitration funding, risk management, and asset recovery. The company provides capital to law firms and corporate clients to finance legal fees and associated costs in commercial disputes. In exchange for funding, Burford shares in any awards or settlements, enabling clients to pursue meritorious claims without bearing upfront legal expenses.

Founded in 2009 by Christopher Bogart, Burford was among the first firms to establish a dedicated litigation finance business.