Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Burford Capital from “strong sell” to “sell,” while broader analyst coverage remains mixed: two Buys, three Holds, and one Sell, with a consensus rating of “Hold” and a $9.33 price target.
• Burford Capital shares opened at $4.42, up 2.8%, but remain well below their 52-week high of $14.14. The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.01, missing estimates of $0.08, despite revenue of $110.68 million exceeding forecasts.
• Several major institutional investors increased their Burford Capital positions, including Orbis Allan Gray, Bank of Montreal, Cooke & Bieler, and Greenlea Lane Capital Management.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on BUR. B. Riley Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research upgraded Burford Capital from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wedbush raised their price target on Burford Capital from $4.75 to $5.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Burford Capital from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $5.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Burford Capital from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $9.33.

Burford Capital Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:BUR opened at $4.42 on Friday. Burford Capital has a 52 week low of $3.59 and a 52 week high of $14.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 13.72 and a current ratio of 13.72. The company's fifty day moving average is $4.26 and its 200-day moving average is $5.96. The company has a market capitalization of $968.29 million, a PE ratio of -0.57, a P/E/G ratio of 0.05 and a beta of 1.25.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.07). Burford Capital had a return on equity of 9.12% and a net margin of 15.14%.The firm had revenue of $110.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $103.08 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.39 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Burford Capital will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Burford Capital

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in BUR. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd lifted its position in Burford Capital by 31.1% in the 4th 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 Burford Capital by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 9,418,521 shares of the company's stock worth $107,170,000 after purchasing an additional 229,979 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Burford Capital by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,779,231 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,471,000 after purchasing an additional 1,346,663 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its stake in shares of Burford Capital by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 5,194,551 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,335,000 after purchasing an additional 1,228,328 shares during the period. Finally, Greenlea Lane Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 325.4% in the second quarter. Greenlea Lane Capital Management LLC now owns 3,362,322 shares of the company's stock valued at $45,724,000 after purchasing an additional 2,571,917 shares in the last quarter.

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.

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