SG Americas Securities LLC Raises Holdings in Burford Capital Limited $BUR

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Burford by 3,454.8% in Q4, buying an additional 849,665 shares to hold 874,259 shares (about 0.40% of the company) valued at roughly $7.8 million.
• The stock plunged after the U.S. Court of Appeals (Second Circuit) overturned the YPF judgment, prompting >40% market sell‑off and multiple broker target cuts; analysts are mixed with an average rating of "Hold" and a $12 average price target.
• Burford missed quarterly expectations, reporting a loss of ($0.17) EPS versus a $0.37 estimate and revenue of $48.78M versus $168.30M expected.

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR - Free Report) by 3,454.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 874,259 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 849,665 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 0.40% of Burford Capital worth $7,798,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 229,979 shares during the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd lifted its stake in Burford Capital by 6.9% in the second quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 7,732,120 shares of the company's stock valued at $110,260,000 after buying an additional 496,616 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 34.3% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,078,537 shares of the company's stock valued at $86,680,000 after acquiring an additional 1,551,357 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 9.2% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 5,432,568 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,974,000 after acquiring an additional 455,627 shares during the period. Finally, Contrarian Capital Management L.L.C. grew its position 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 worth $48,378,000 after acquiring an additional 1,488,250 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Wedbush reissued 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. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Burford Capital from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, December 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Friday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Burford Capital from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Burford Capital presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $12.00.

Trending Headlines about Burford Capital

Here are the key news stories impacting Burford Capital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wedbush cut its price target from $13 to $6 but retained an "outperform" rating, signaling the firm still sees meaningful upside versus current levels. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Burford issued a further statement on the Second Circuit decision, reiterating its view and answering investor questions — the company is communicating but outcome uncertainty remains. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broker comment roundup mentions Burford among other UK/energy/real-estate names; these broker notes may generate trading but contain mixed views. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned the YPF judgment that underpinned a major Burford asset, removing a previously recognized recoverable value and triggering the market reaction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Berenberg and other brokers cut target prices after the court reversal, reflecting lower recoverable case value and higher uncertainty for listed litigation funders. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: Burford shares fell sharply (reports cite a >40% drop on Friday), and the stock hit a new 52-week low as investors reprice litigation assets and tail risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional market note: LSE/market updates and commentary confirm the appeals-court reversal as the proximate cause of the sell-off and analyst revisions. Read More.

Burford Capital Trading Down 2.3%

NYSE:BUR opened at $4.05 on Tuesday. Burford Capital Limited has a 12-month low of $3.59 and a 12-month high of $15.10. 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's 50 day simple moving average is $8.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.61. The firm has a market cap of $885.45 million, a P/E ratio of 14.98, a PEG ratio of 0.11 and a beta of 0.66.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. 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 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Burford Capital Limited will post 1.28 EPS for the current year.

Burford Capital Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 147.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 22nd. Burford Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.44%.

Burford Capital 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.

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