Short Interest in Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) Rises By 20.5%

Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,230,000 shares, an increase of 20.5% from the April 30th total of 2,680,000 shares. Currently, 5.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,390,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Burlington Stores from $254.00 to $299.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 30th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Burlington Stores from $335.00 to $325.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Burlington Stores from $344.00 to $340.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Burlington Stores from $287.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Burlington Stores from $345.00 to $310.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $317.43.

Burlington Stores Price Performance

Burlington Stores stock traded up $4.72 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $243.10. The stock had a trading volume of 1,031,252 shares, compared to its average volume of 989,522. Burlington Stores has a 1-year low of $212.92 and a 1-year high of $298.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The stock's fifty day moving average is $238.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $258.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.30, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.70.

Burlington Stores (NYSE:BURL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 29th. The company reported $1.60 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $2.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. Burlington Stores had a return on equity of 47.52% and a net margin of 4.49%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.35 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Burlington Stores will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Burlington Stores

In related news, COO Travis Marquette sold 190 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.63, for a total value of $45,149.70. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 22,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,431,746.54. This represents a 0.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CMO Jennifer Vecchio sold 4,939 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.94, for a total value of $1,185,063.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 70,006 shares in the company, valued at $16,797,239.64. This represents a 6.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Burlington Stores

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BURL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Burlington Stores by 14.4% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 302 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Burlington Stores by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Argonautica Private Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,728 shares of the company's stock worth $1,063,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Burlington Stores by 81.6% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 89 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Burlington Stores by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the company's stock worth $300,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Burlington Stores by 21.7% during the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 269 shares of the company's stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter.

About Burlington Stores

Burlington Stores, Inc operates as a retailer of branded merchandise in the United States. The company provides fashion-focused merchandise, including women's ready-to-wear apparel, menswear, youth apparel, footwear, accessories, toys, gifts, and coats, as well as baby, home, and beauty products.