Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) Stock Rating Lowered by Zacks Research

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) was downgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on BUR. Bank of America began coverage on Burford Capital in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Burford Capital in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wedbush assumed coverage on Burford Capital in a report on Friday, February 20th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. B. Riley Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $18.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Burford Capital in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Burford Capital from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research 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, Burford Capital has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $16.00.

Burford Capital Price Performance

NYSE BUR opened at $8.54 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $9.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $10.40. Burford Capital has a 52 week low of $8.12 and a 52 week high of $15.10. The stock has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 10.93, a quick ratio of 10.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Burford Capital

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd lifted its position in shares of Burford Capital by 31.1% during the 4th quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 12,051,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,500,000 after acquiring an additional 2,859,722 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Burford Capital by 2.5% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 9,418,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,170,000 after acquiring an additional 229,979 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in shares of Burford Capital by 24.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 6,779,231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,471,000 after purchasing an additional 1,346,663 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Burford Capital by 34.3% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,078,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $86,680,000 after purchasing an additional 1,551,357 shares during the period. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP grew its stake in Burford Capital by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 5,194,551 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,335,000 after purchasing an additional 1,228,328 shares during the period.

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.