Burford Capital Limited $BUR Shares Sold by Baillie Gifford & Co.

Key Points

• Institutional investor Baillie Gifford & Co. reduced its stake in Burford Capital by 43%, selling 300,207 shares in Q4 and now holding 398,433 shares (about 0.18% of the company, worth ~$3.57M).
• Burford materially missed Q4 expectations, reporting EPS -$0.17 vs. $0.37 est. and revenue of $48.78M vs. $168.3M expected; the stock opened at $4.70 (12‑month range $3.59–$15.10).
• The company declared a dividend of $0.0625 per share (record May 22, payable June 12), while analyst coverage is mixed with an average "Hold" rating and a $12 average target price.

Baillie Gifford & Co. reduced its holdings in shares of Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR - Free Report) by 43.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 398,433 shares of the company's stock after selling 300,207 shares during the quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned approximately 0.18% of Burford Capital worth $3,569,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in BUR. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Burford Capital by 1,687.7% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,914 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 2,751 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Burford Capital during the 1st quarter worth about $55,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Burford Capital during the 3rd quarter worth about $120,000. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of Burford Capital during the 3rd quarter worth about $124,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Burford Capital during the 4th quarter worth about $125,000.

Burford Capital Stock Up 4.7%

Burford Capital stock opened at $4.70 on Wednesday. Burford Capital Limited has a twelve month low of $3.59 and a twelve month high of $15.10. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $7.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.97. The company has a current ratio of 10.93, a quick ratio of 10.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.41 and a beta of 1.29.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 27th. The company reported ($0.17) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.37 by ($0.54). Burford Capital had a return on equity of 1.97% and a net margin of 15.14%.The company had revenue of $48.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.30 million. As a group, research analysts expect that Burford Capital Limited will post 1.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Burford Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be given a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a yield of 147.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Burford Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on BUR. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Burford Capital in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Bank of America began coverage on Burford Capital in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $4.75 price objective (down from $6.00) on shares of Burford Capital in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research downgraded Burford Capital from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Burford Capital from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, December 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $12.00.

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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