BURFORD CAPITAL LTD (BUR)
Financials · Litigation Finance / Legal Lending · NYSE
A global legal finance platform that capitalizes major litigation and legal disputes for the world's largest law firms and corporations, generating returns from portfolio growth and case outcomes.
What BURFORD CAPITAL LTD does
Burford Capital is the world's largest dedicated provider of capital for legal finance, offering financial products and services to businesses and law firms engaged in ongoing legal disputes. The company provides capital ranging from $5 million to hundreds of millions to fund legal fees, expenses, and monetize expected future dispute values. Burford manages a global legal finance portfolio of $7.5 billion grown organically since its 2009 inception and through private funds where it earns asset management income.
Themes: litigation finance, legal tech, alternative asset management, AI-driven underwriting
Fundamentals
- Price$4.31 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$946M as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return-68.3% 2025-08-21 close $13.60 → 2026-08-21 close $4.31
- P/E15.37 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin-25.5% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+99.5% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE-102.3% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity2.93 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)-42.1% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+9.0% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.58 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-08-06 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +0.9%; at least 4 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer.
How BUR compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiomiddle range 525 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginbottom 10% 538 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 534 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross margintop 10% 176 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitybottom 10% 575 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 347 covered Financials peers
- indicated dividend yieldbottom 25% 453 covered Financials peers, as of 2026-08-24
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)bottom 10% 431 covered Financials peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Financials companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, BUR's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 44%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout44% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payoutnot assessable free cash flow was not positive that year
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How BURFORD CAPITAL LTD looks technically
BURFORD CAPITAL LTD (BUR) is trading 36.0% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend. Its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 232 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal. There is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 9, below the 25 that marks a real trend). Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 51, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 2 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative). It made a new 20-day high about 11 trading days ago. It is 69.5% below its highest point of the past year. Day-to-day price swings are unusually narrow versus its own recent history — a "Bollinger squeeze" (in the tightest 1% of the past ~6 months), which often precedes a bigger move.
Trend
8
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 36.0% below its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a long-term downtrend | -36.0% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $4.24 | $4.24 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $6.74 | $6.74 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been higher than the one before it and each dip has been shallower — the pattern chart-watchers call an uptrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | higher highs and higher lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing high 7 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 7 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed three-part upward correction — a pullback in the A-B-C shape Elliott-wave chartists use; the labelling fails if price closes above 4.515. It is the only labelling that fits, though not with textbook proportions, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible three-wave upward correction, complete (atypical proportions) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 232 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal | 232 sessions |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | there is no clear trend right now — the price is choppy (ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 9, below the 25 that marks a real trend) | 8.6 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 51, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 51.4 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading in the upper half of its 14-day range ($3.93 to $4.51) — its "stochastic" reading is 65 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 65.0 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bearish about 2 trading days ago (its momentum flipped negative) | 2 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $14.14 | $14.14 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 69.5% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -69.5% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 20.1% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +20.1% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 69.5% below its highest point of the past year | 69.5% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day high about 11 trading days ago | 11 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day low about 26 trading days ago | 26 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $17.70 (set on 2023-09-08) | $17.70 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($3.92 to $14.00), and it has recovered only a small part of its fall from last year’s high — 4% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $10.15 to $10.47. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 3.9% |
| From the all-time high | it is 75.6% below its all-time high | -75.7% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 2.7% below a resistance level at $4.42 — a price it turned at twice since 2026-04-24, most recently on 2026-07-24. Since 2024-08-21 it has 1 such level below the current price and 16 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | +2.7% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $3.59 (set on 2026-03-27) | $3.59 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 20.1% above its all-time low | +20.1% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are unusually narrow versus its own recent history — a "Bollinger squeeze" (in the tightest 1% of the past ~6 months), which often precedes a bigger move | 0th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $0.1927 between its high and its low — about 4.5% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $0.1927 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $4.12 and $4.46 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $4.12 – $4.29 – $4.46 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 4.5% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 4.5% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 12.6 daily ranges below its 200-day average price (36.0% below it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 12.6 daily ranges below its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.70× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts' average price target is unchanged from the prior reading | 0.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | today it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | today |
|---|---|---|
| Since a bearish engulfing | 5 sessions ago it opened above the previous session's close and finished below that session's open — a "bearish engulfing" pair, where one down day more than undid the up day before it | 5 sessions ago |
Price gaps
2
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 0.9% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | +0.9% |
|---|---|---|
| Gap filled | a 2.4% gap up opened on 2026-07-24 has been "filled" 20 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it closed again during the very session that opened it | 20 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 2.8 percentage points (the stock gained 5.1% while the market gained 2.3%) | +2.8% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock lagged the market by 11.4 percentage points (the stock lost 8.3% while the market gained 3.1%) | -11.4% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock lagged the market by 66.4 percentage points (the stock lost 55.3% while the market gained 11.1%) | -66.4% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 88.8 percentage points (the stock lost 68.3% while the market gained 20.5%) | -88.8% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 0 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 0 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 4 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a "death cross" — its 50-day average is below its 200-day, trading below its 200-day average, MACD momentum is negative, lagging the market over 6 months — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 4 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading inside the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the zone traders read as unresolved — neither side has established a trend, and the band is where that gets settled. The band itself is thick, spanning 9.8% of the share price, which is taken to mean a barrier that has held for a while and takes effort to cross. | 0.0% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 22% below the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is under water. That average is $5.49 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 158 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -21.5% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is sitting right on the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-08-06 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is roughly break-even. That average is $4.33 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 12 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | -0.4% |
Price levels it has turned at before
BUR last closed at $4.31 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 1 price below its last close and 16 above; the nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $4.42 | Resistance | 2.7% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-04-24 to 2026-07-24 |
| $4.53 | Resistance | 5.1% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-07-06 to 2026-08-14 |
| $3.92 | Support | 9.2% below the last close | turned there three times · 2026-06-29 to 2026-08-06 |
| $4.88 | Resistance | 13.2% above the last close | turned there twice · 2026-04-08 to 2026-05-29 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a three-part upward correction — the A-B-C shape chartists use for a pullback — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes above $4.51.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-13, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading below the 200-day moving average · Pulled back from the 12-month high · MACD just crossed bearish (12/26/9) · in a Bollinger Band volatility squeeze · trendless / choppy (low ADX) · lagging the market | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout · fifty two week high low · bollinger bands
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (1.67 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 6 analysts
- Mean price target$8.67 range $5.00 – $22.50; median $6.27
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-18. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for BUR
- Consensus EPS estimate$0.085 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-18
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Adverse litigation outcomes and the timing of case resolutions","Inaccuracy of proprietary predictive models and AI underwriting tools","Regulatory and legal uncertainty regarding the enforceability of litigation finance agreements"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of BUR's 10-Q filed 2026-05-08 against the prior one filed 2025-11-05.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- New section added: 'YPF-related assets' describing the company's largest individual asset, judgment entered September 15, 2023, court order for YPF S.A. shares turnover in year ended December 31, 2024, and judgment reversal on March 27, 2026, with ongoing US court proceedings and potential international arbitration
- Reference to 'military action in the Middle East, geopolitical tensions and ongoing disruption to global trade' as drivers of market volatility during three months ended March 31, 2026
- Statement that 'we saw impact from that in our financial results for the year ended December 31, 2025 as extensions of expected duration reduced the fair value of certain assets' regarding court backlogs
- Removed:
- Removed reference to 'credit rating upgrades from Moody's in the second quarter of 2025 and from S&P in the third quarter of 2024' and 'successful debt offering in July 2025'
- Removed discussion of 'the rising potential for global trade disruption through the implementation of tariffs' as cause of market volatility
- Removed statement 'We are often protected on duration risk, however, as many of our assets have time-based terms that increase our absolute returns as time passes, we consider delays to be deferral of income rather than its permanent diminution'
- Removed detailed explanation of inflation effects on post-judgment interest rates and awards, and effects on operating expenses and debt costs
- Removed entire 'Party solvency' section discussing litigation outcomes versus conventional credit universe
- Reworded:
- Changed 'regarding the Group's operational and financial performance for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024' to 'with respect to our operating and financial performance for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025'
- Changed 'Form 10-Q and the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in the 2024 Form 10-K' to 'Form 10-Q and the audited consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto contained in the 2025 Form 10-K'
- Added paragraph on 'Non-GAAP financial measures and KPIs' not present in older filing
- Changed 'a business that we colloquially call legal finance' to 'which we colloquially call legal finance'
- Changed 'the industry of law' to 'the legal industry'
- Changed 'capital that they can use to pay' to 'which they can use both to pay'
- Changed 'amount and type' to 'volume and type' regarding litigation
- Changed 'court activity has continued to work through the backlog' to 'courts have continued to work through the case backlog'
- Changed 'during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025' to 'during the three months ended March 31, 2026'
- Changed reference from '2024 Form 10-K' to '2025 Form 10-K' in Risk Factors citations
- Changed 'Some court systems continue to face backlogs' to 'some court systems continue to face backlogs'
- Changed 'We are often protected on duration risk' to 'In some cases, we are protected on duration risk' and 'some of our assets' to 'some of our assets'
- Notes:
- Older filing covers three and nine months ended September 30, 2025; newer filing covers three months ended March 31, 2026; periods are not directly comparable
- Truncation of older filing text at end of 'Party solvency' section and at 'Inflation' section end prevents complete assessment of removals in those areas
- The two filings reference different fiscal year forms (2024 Form 10-K vs. 2025 Form 10-K), reflecting the passage of time between filings
Risk Factors
- Added:
- Added to cybersecurity risk bullet: 'intellectual property or litigation or business strategy' alongside 'privileged information' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Added new bullet point: 'Information systems risks or improper functioning of our information systems or those of our third-party service providers' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Reference updated from '2024 Form 10-K' to '2025 Form 10-K' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Removed:
- Removed separate bullet point on 'Cybersecurity risks and improper functioning of our information systems or those of our third-party service providers' that appeared as distinct item in older filing (filed 2025-11-05)
- Reworded:
- Cybersecurity bullet changed from 'Improper use or disclosure of, or access to, privileged information under our control due to cybersecurity breaches' to 'Improper use or disclosure of, or access to, privileged information, intellectual property or litigation or business strategy due to cybersecurity breaches, unauthorized use or theft' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Lawyers bullet changed from 'Failure of lawyers to prosecute and/or defend claims we have financed with necessary skill and care or misalignment of their clients' interests with ours' to 'Failure of lawyers who prosecute and/or defend claims that we have financed to exercise due skill and care or the misalignment of their interests or those of their clients with ours' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Negative publicity bullet changed from 'Negative publicity or public perception of the legal finance industry or us' to 'Negative publicity about or public perception of the legal finance industry or us' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Advantage Fund definition changed from 'funded directly by our balance sheet' to 'financed directly by our balance sheet' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Asset Management and Other Services segment definition changed from 'includes the management of legal finance assets' to 'manages legal finance assets' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Form period changed from 'three and nine months ended September 30, 2025' to 'three months ended March 31, 2026' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Final forward-looking statement clause changed from 'update or revise any forward-looking statements in this Form 10-Q' to 'update or revise any forward-looking statements' (filed 2026-05-08)
- Notes:
- The newer filing appears to be truncated at the Glossary section; comparison is limited to the text provided
- Page number changes (76-80 vs 91-94) reflect different document lengths but are not substantive content changes
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
No open-market insider purchases or sales are on record for BUR — recent Form 4 activity was compensation-related (awards, option exercises, or tax withholding), not open-market buying or selling.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsOnly open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
BUR had 15,160,054 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
BUR had 6.90% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 8.52 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 15,160,054
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 6.90%
- Prior settlement (shares) 15,731,062
- Reported change -3.63%
- Days to cover (reported) 8.52
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Omni Bridgeway
- Litigation Capital Management (LIT)
- Longford Capital
- Validity Finance
- Woodsford Litigation Funding
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
Frequently asked questions
What does BURFORD CAPITAL LTD (BUR) do?
Burford Capital is the world's largest dedicated provider of capital for legal finance, offering financial products and services to businesses and law firms engaged in ongoing legal disputes. The company provides capital ranging from $5 million to hundreds of millions to fund legal fees, expenses, and monetize expected future dispute values.
What sector is BURFORD CAPITAL LTD (BUR) in?
BURFORD CAPITAL LTD (BUR) is classified in the Financials sector. Its industry is Litigation Finance / Legal Lending. It trades on NYSE.
Does BUR pay a dividend?
Yes — BURFORD CAPITAL LTD (BUR) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 0.89% and at least 4 years of non-decreasing per-share dividends (SEC EDGAR XBRL) — we do not hold the year before it, so the real streak may be longer (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are BURFORD CAPITAL LTD's (BUR) competitors?
Notable peers of BURFORD CAPITAL LTD (BUR) include Omni Bridgeway, Litigation Capital Management, Longford Capital, Validity Finance and Woodsford Litigation Funding. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is BURFORD CAPITAL LTD (BUR) overbought or oversold right now?
BURFORD CAPITAL LTD (BUR) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 51, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on BUR come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.