Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) Lowered to Hold Rating by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank downgraded Burford Capital from buy to hold and kept a $5.00 price target, implying about 3% downside from the current price.
• Analyst sentiment on Burford is mixed: the stock has ratings split evenly across buy, hold, and sell, with MarketBeat showing an overall Hold consensus and a $9.33 average price target.
• Burford’s latest earnings missed expectations, reporting -$0.17 EPS versus $0.37 expected and $48.78 million in revenue versus $168.30 million forecast, while the stock also trades well below its 50-day and 200-day averages.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Monday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $5.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft's target price suggests a potential downside of 3.01% from the company's current price.

BUR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Burford Capital from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Burford Capital from $4.75 to $5.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $9.33.

Burford Capital Stock Performance

BUR stock opened at $5.16 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 10.93 and a quick ratio of 10.93. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $6.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.27. The company has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of -0.70 and a beta of 1.28. Burford Capital has a 1-year low of $3.59 and a 1-year high of $15.10.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $48.78 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $168.30 million. Burford Capital had a net margin of 15.14% and a return on equity of 10.19%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Burford Capital will post -0.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Burford Capital

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 12,051,544 shares of the company's stock valued at $107,500,000 after acquiring an additional 2,859,722 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 2.5% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 9,418,521 shares of the company's stock valued at $107,170,000 after acquiring an additional 229,979 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 24.8% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,779,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,471,000 after acquiring an additional 1,346,663 shares in the last quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP increased its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 5,194,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,335,000 after acquiring an additional 1,228,328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Contrarian Capital Management L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 58.2% during the third quarter. Contrarian Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 4,044,998 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,378,000 after acquiring an additional 1,488,250 shares in the last quarter.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.