Burford Capital Limited $BUR Shares Bought by Aberdeen Group plc

Aberdeen Group plc grew its holdings in shares of Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) by 26.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,357,279 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 497,780 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned 1.08% of Burford Capital worth $21,027,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 4.8% during the third quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 33,158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,514 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Burford Capital by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 15,003 shares of the company’s stock valued at $179,000 after buying an additional 1,538 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in Burford Capital by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 187,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,244,000 after buying an additional 2,651 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Burford Capital by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 26,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $312,000 after buying an additional 2,759 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Burford Capital by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 243,022 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,269,000 after buying an additional 3,085 shares in the last quarter.

Burford Capital Trading Down 0.1%

Burford Capital stock opened at $4.14 on Monday. Burford Capital Limited has a 52 week low of $3.59 and a 52 week high of $15.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 10.93 and a current ratio of 10.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $905.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.32 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $8.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $9.37.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The company reported ($0.17) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.54). The firm had revenue of $48.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $168.30 million. Burford Capital had a net margin of 15.14% and a return on equity of 1.97%. Research analysts forecast that Burford Capital Limited will post 1.28 EPS for the current year.

Burford Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd will be paid a $0.0625 dividend. This represents a yield of 147.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 22nd. Burford Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on BUR shares. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, December 21st. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $4.75 target price (down from $6.00) on shares of Burford Capital in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Burford Capital has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $12.00.

Burford Capital Company 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.