Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) Downgraded to Strong Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) from a sell rating to a strong sell rating in a report released on Saturday morning.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on BUR. Wedbush boosted their target price on shares of Burford Capital from $4.75 to $5.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Burford Capital in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Burford Capital from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. B. Riley Financial restated a “buy” rating on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Burford Capital from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.33.

Burford Capital Price Performance

Burford Capital stock opened at $4.66 on Friday. Burford Capital has a 52 week low of $3.59 and a 52 week high of $15.10. The company has a quick ratio of 10.93, a current ratio of 13.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $5.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of -0.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.06 and a beta of 1.28.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 27th. The company reported ($0.17) earnings per share 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 11.72%. The firm had revenue of $48.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.30 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Burford Capital will post 2.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Burford Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 147.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Burford Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently -1.64%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Burford Capital

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. London Co. of Virginia increased its position in Burford Capital by 2.7% in the first quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 108,582 shares of the company’s stock worth $491,000 after buying an additional 2,874 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Burford Capital by 15.2% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 958,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,332,000 after buying an additional 126,500 shares in the last quarter. Arbiter Partners Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Burford Capital during the first quarter valued at about $122,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Burford Capital by 8,916.0% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 640,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,895,000 after buying an additional 633,393 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in Burford Capital during the first quarter valued at about $1,626,000.

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.