Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Shares of Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 3,174,752 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 73% from the previous session’s volume of 1,832,770 shares.The stock last traded at $4.64 and had previously closed at $7.83.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on BUR. Zacks Research cut shares of Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 21st. Wedbush started coverage on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $14.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $16.00.

Burford Capital Price Performance

The business has a fifty day moving average of $8.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $9.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 10.93 and a current ratio of 10.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.66.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.54). Burford Capital had a net margin of 15.14% and a return on equity of 1.97%. The business had revenue of $48.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.30 million. As a group, research analysts predict that Burford Capital Limited will post 1.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Burford Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.0625 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 147.0%. Burford Capital’s payout ratio is presently 44.44%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 1,687.7% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 2,751 shares during the period. Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Burford Capital during the first quarter worth approximately $55,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Burford Capital during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Burford Capital during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $120,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue bought a new stake in Burford Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at $124,000.

About Burford Capital

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.