Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,590,000 shares, an increase of 12.6% from the December 15th total of 2,300,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 829,300 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Approximately 4.1% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Burlington Stores Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of Burlington Stores stock traded up $1.02 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $290.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 415,855 shares, compared to its average volume of 584,832. The stock has a market cap of $18.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.63. 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 twelve month low of $174.64 and a twelve month high of $298.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $284.30 and a 200-day moving average of $266.87.

Burlington Stores (NYSE:BURL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 26th. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.01. Burlington Stores had a net margin of 4.49% and a return on equity of 47.52%. The company had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.98 earnings per share. Burlington Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Burlington Stores will post 7.93 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Burlington Stores from $285.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Burlington Stores from $334.00 to $339.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Burlington Stores from $327.00 to $317.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. UBS Group raised shares of Burlington Stores from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $280.00 to $360.00 in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Burlington Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $317.87.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Burlington Stores

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Burlington Stores by 1.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,074,960 shares of the company’s stock worth $282,582,000 after buying an additional 18,160 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Burlington Stores by 1,048.8% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 730,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $192,478,000 after acquiring an additional 666,934 shares during the period. Anomaly Capital Management LP grew its position in Burlington Stores by 34.6% in the 2nd quarter. Anomaly Capital Management LP now owns 730,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $175,242,000 after acquiring an additional 187,760 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in Burlington Stores by 2.2% during the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 663,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,246,000 after purchasing an additional 14,080 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Burlington Stores by 54.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 587,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,968,000 after purchasing an additional 207,959 shares in the last quarter.

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.