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

Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors acquired 3,009 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 527% compared to the typical volume of 480 call options.

Burford Capital Stock Up 0.1 %

Burford Capital stock traded up $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $13.86. 620,114 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 975,842. Burford Capital has a 52-week low of $11.17 and a 52-week high of $16.37. The company's 50-day moving average is $13.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 15.75 and a current ratio of 15.75. The firm has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.95 and a beta of 0.73.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.62). Burford Capital had a net margin of 34.81% and a return on equity of 8.07%. The firm had revenue of $65.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $219.38 million. On average, analysts predict that Burford Capital will post 1.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Burford Capital Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 23rd. Burford Capital's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.46%.

Insider Activity at Burford Capital

In other Burford Capital news, CEO Christopher P. Bogart sold 90,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.61, for a total value of $1,314,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 452,185 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,606,422.85. This trade represents a 16.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Aviva O. Will sold 7,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.61, for a total transaction of $109,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 310,979 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,543,403.19. The trade was a 2.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 100,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,468,305. 0.19% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Burford Capital

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Burford Capital by 2,032.2% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 23,284 shares of the company's stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 22,192 shares in the last quarter. Claar Advisors LLC raised its stake in Burford Capital by 22.7% during the third quarter. Claar Advisors LLC now owns 595,446 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,896,000 after buying an additional 110,000 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Burford Capital by 24.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,946,927 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,076,000 after buying an additional 582,514 shares in the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Burford Capital in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC increased its holdings in shares of Burford Capital by 30.6% in the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 19,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 4,524 shares during the last quarter.

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.