J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Makes New Investment in Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL)

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Burlington Stores, Inc. (NYSE:BURL) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 10,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,933,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Burlington Stores by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,160,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,470,929,000 after purchasing an additional 367,703 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Burlington Stores by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,083,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $308,403,000 after buying an additional 8,892 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Burlington Stores by 30.8% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 955,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,417,000 after buying an additional 225,124 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Burlington Stores during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $227,268,000. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Burlington Stores by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 708,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,857,000 after acquiring an additional 103,202 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on BURL shares. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of Burlington Stores in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Burlington Stores from $330.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Burlington Stores from $296.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Burlington Stores from $360.00 to $405.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Burlington Stores from $317.00 to $329.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Burlington Stores currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $323.13.

Insider Activity at Burlington Stores

In related news, CMO Jennifer Vecchio sold 4,939 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.94, for a total transaction of $1,185,063.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 70,006 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,797,239.64. This represents a 6.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Burlington Stores Stock Down 3.9 %

BURL stock opened at $217.73 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 1.65. Burlington Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $174.64 and a 52 week high of $298.89. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $238.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $261.99. 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 (NYSE:BURL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $4.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.75 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $3.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.25 billion. Burlington Stores had a return on equity of 47.52% and a net margin of 4.49%. Equities analysts forecast that Burlington Stores, Inc. will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Burlington Stores Company Profile

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.