Burford Capital Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:BUR)

Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 16,007 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 3,070% compared to the average daily volume of 505 put options.

Burford Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BUR traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $13.70. The stock had a trading volume of 332,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 976,621. The firm has a market cap of $3.00 billion, a PE ratio of 9.50 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 11.01 and a current ratio of 11.01. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.82. Burford Capital has a twelve month low of $12.07 and a twelve month high of $16.77.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.10). Burford Capital had a net margin of 45.81% and a return on equity of 12.58%. The firm had revenue of $159.65 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $153.00 million. Research analysts predict that Burford Capital will post 1.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Burford Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 1st will be paid a $0.063 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. Burford Capital's payout ratio is currently 8.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BUR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Burford Capital in a research report on Friday, September 6th. They set a "buy" rating and a $18.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $22.50 target price on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $18.00 price target on shares of Burford Capital in a research note on Friday, August 9th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Amalgamated Bank purchased a new stake in Burford Capital in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $90,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Burford Capital by 503.2% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 7,769 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 6,481 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Burford Capital in the second quarter worth about $166,000. Paloma Partners Management Co purchased a new stake in shares of Burford Capital during the 1st quarter worth about $192,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Burford Capital during the 1st quarter valued at about $238,000.

Burford Capital Company Profile

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.