Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Boosts Stock Holdings in Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has significantly increased its stake in Burford Capital Limited, acquiring an additional 56,230 shares during the first quarter, leading to a 169.1% growth in its total holdings.
• Insiders, including CEO Christopher P. Bogart and CIO Jonathan Todd Molot, each sold 210,000 shares of Burford Capital at $14.60, resulting in substantial decreases in their respective stakes.
• Burford Capital's stock is currently valued at $12.42, marking a 3.3% drop, with the company reporting earnings of $0.14 per share, falling short of analysts' expectations of $0.30.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR - Free Report) by 169.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 89,476 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 56,230 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Burford Capital were worth $1,181,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 149.9% in the 4th quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd now owns 112,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,431,000 after acquiring an additional 67,300 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new position in Burford Capital during the 4th quarter worth $273,000. Grandeur Peak Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Burford Capital during the 4th quarter worth $2,229,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new position in Burford Capital during the 4th quarter worth $335,000. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in Burford Capital during the 1st quarter worth $284,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider David Perla sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.60, for a total value of $102,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 80,172 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,170,511.20. The trade was a 8.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, President Aviva O. Will sold 17,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.60, for a total value of $255,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president directly owned 293,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,284,793.40. This trade represents a 5.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 444,500 shares of company stock worth $6,489,700. Corporate insiders own 8.90% of the company's stock.

Burford Capital Stock Performance

BUR traded up $0.04 on Wednesday, reaching $12.77. 717,846 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,364,287. The company's 50-day moving average price is $13.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $13.61. Burford Capital Limited has a fifty-two week low of $10.70 and a fifty-two week high of $15.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 13.27 and a quick ratio of 13.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a PE ratio of 13.73 and a beta of 0.65.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.16). The firm had revenue of $118.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $157.00 million. Burford Capital had a return on equity of 6.41% and a net margin of 33.41%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Burford Capital Limited will post 1.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on BUR. Wall Street Zen upgraded Burford Capital from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Wedbush upgraded Burford Capital to an "outperform" rating and set a $18.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th.

About Burford Capital

Burford Capital Limited provides legal finance products and services worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Capital Provision, and Asset Management and Other Provision. The Capital Provision segment provides capital to the legal industry or in connection with legal matters directly and through investment in private funds; legal risk management services; lower risk legal finance business focusing on pre-settlement litigation matters with lower risk and lower expected returns; post-settlement finance; and complex strategies in which it acts as a principal and acquires assets that are mispriced.