Short Interest in Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) Decreases By 9.5%

Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,900,000 shares, a drop of 9.5% from the January 15th total of 2,100,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 856,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days. Approximately 3.0% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Burlington Stores Stock Performance

NYSE BURL opened at $246.53 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. Burlington Stores has a 52-week low of $174.64 and a 52-week high of $298.89. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $280.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $271.03. The firm has a market cap of $15.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.62.

Burlington Stores (NYSE:BURL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.55 billion. Burlington Stores had a net margin of 4.49% and a return on equity of 47.52%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Burlington Stores will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CMO Jennifer Vecchio sold 493 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.75, for a total value of $135,944.75. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 58,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,253,808. This represents a 0.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,481 shares of company stock worth $421,892. Corporate insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Burlington Stores

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BURL. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Burlington Stores by 81.6% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 89 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of Burlington Stores by 148.6% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 92 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. RPg Family Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Burlington Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Burlington Stores during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Burlington Stores during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on BURL. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Burlington Stores from $315.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Burlington Stores from $315.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Burlington Stores from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. UBS Group raised Burlington Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $280.00 to $360.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Burlington Stores from $313.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.87.

About Burlington Stores

Burlington Stores, Inc operates as a retailer of branded merchandise in the United States. The company provides fashion-focused merchandise, including women's ready-to-wear apparel, menswear, youth apparel, footwear, accessories, toys, gifts, and coats, as well as baby, home, and beauty products.