Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) Shares Climb 5.4% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Burford Capital shares rose 5.4% to approximately $3.22, though trading volume was 88% below the average session level.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock carries an average “Hold” rating and a $8.88 average price target, with ratings ranging from Sell to Buy.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.01, missing the $0.08 consensus estimate and falling from $0.39 a year earlier, highlighting continued earnings pressure despite recent institutional buying.

Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) traded up 5.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $3.24 and last traded at $3.2150. Approximately 319,406 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 2,618,357 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.05.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Burford Capital in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Burford Capital from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $3.65 target price on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Burford Capital from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $8.88.

Burford Capital Stock Up 10.3%

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $3.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $4.27. The company has a current ratio of 9.56, a quick ratio of 9.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $738.89 million, a P/E ratio of -0.44 and a beta of 1.25.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.08 by ($0.07). During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.39 EPS. Research analysts expect that Burford Capital Limited will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Burford Capital

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BUR. Abel Hall LLC bought a new stake in shares of Burford Capital during the third quarter valued at approximately $67,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in Burford Capital by 7.3% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 57,722 shares of the company's stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 3,950 shares during the period. IKE Capital LLC bought a new position in Burford Capital in the second quarter worth $90,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Burford Capital in the second quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Solas Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Burford Capital by 23.4% in the second quarter. Solas Capital Management LLC now owns 1,210,944 shares of the company's stock worth $4,965,000 after purchasing an additional 230,000 shares in the last quarter.

Burford Capital Company Profile

Burford Capital Limited NYSE: BUR is a global legal finance and asset management firm. The company provides capital to businesses and law firms involved in commercial litigation and arbitration, allowing clients to finance legal expenses, manage risk, or access the potential value of legal claims and judgments without relying solely on their balance sheets.

Its services include single-case and portfolio litigation finance, post-settlement and judgment monetization, legal asset management, and corporate legal finance.

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