Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 2,906 Shares of Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Burford Capital Limited (NYSE:BUR) by 20.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,069 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,906 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Burford Capital were worth $141,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of BUR. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in Burford Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Burford Capital by 27.6% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 8,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 1,842 shares during the last quarter. BBR Partners LLC bought a new position in Burford Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $133,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D bought a new position in Burford Capital during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $171,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Burford Capital by 87.6% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 14,575 shares of the company’s stock valued at $193,000 after purchasing an additional 6,806 shares during the last quarter.

Burford Capital Trading Down 1.5 %

BUR opened at $13.50 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 15.75 and a quick ratio of 15.75. Burford Capital Limited has a one year low of $12.07 and a one year high of $16.77.

Burford Capital (NYSE:BUR) last announced its earnings results on Monday, March 3rd. The company reported ($0.06) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.62). Burford Capital had a return on equity of 8.07% and a net margin of 34.81%. The firm had revenue of $65.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $219.38 million. Analysts predict that Burford Capital Limited will post 1.28 EPS for the current year.

Burford Capital Cuts Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Burford Capital

In related news, President Aviva O. Will sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.61, for a total value of $109,575.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 310,979 shares in the company, valued at $4,543,403.19. This represents a 2.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher P. Bogart sold 90,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 452,185 shares in the company, valued at $6,606,422.85. The trade was a 16.60 % decrease in their position. 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. Corporate insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

About Burford Capital

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.