Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) Short Interest Update

Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,300,000 shares, a growth of 23.7% from the November 30th total of 1,860,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 866,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Currently, 3.6% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Burlington Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BURL traded up $0.02 on Tuesday, hitting $284.82. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 142,326 shares, compared to its average volume of 887,388. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $275.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $262.40. The company has a market capitalization of $18.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 1.17. Burlington Stores has a 12 month low of $174.64 and a 12 month high of $298.89.

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 company had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.55 billion. Burlington Stores had a return on equity of 47.52% and a net margin of 4.49%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.98 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Burlington Stores will post 7.93 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on BURL shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Burlington Stores from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Burlington Stores from $334.00 to $339.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com lowered Burlington Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Burlington Stores from $270.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Burlington Stores from $313.00 to $344.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $308.00.

Insider Activity at Burlington Stores

In other news, CMO Jennifer Vecchio sold 494 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $293.89, for a total transaction of $145,181.66. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 59,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,613,121.59. This trade represents a 0.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.91% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Burlington Stores

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in Burlington Stores by 13.9% in the 2nd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 14,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,408,000 after purchasing an additional 1,737 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Burlington Stores by 9.1% during the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Burlington Stores in the second quarter worth about $49,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise boosted its stake in shares of Burlington Stores by 55.8% during the 2nd quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 8,012 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,922,000 after acquiring an additional 2,871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lisanti Capital Growth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Burlington Stores during the 2nd quarter valued at about $958,000.

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.