Burford Capital Limited (BUR) Financial Ratios
14 years of historical data (2011–2024) · Financial Services · Asset Management
EV/EBITDA
↑
9.62
↓-92% vs avg
5yr avg: 117.75
30Y Low5.8·High25.9
P/FCF
↑
5.23
↓-58% vs avg
5yr avg: 12.36
30Y Low11.8·High12.9
P/B Ratio
↓
0.35
↓-64% vs avg
5yr avg: 0.97
30Y Low0.7·High3.1
ROE
↓
4.5%
↑-34% vs avg
5yr avg: 6.9%
30Y Low-1%·High36%
Debt/EBITDA
↑
7.01
↓-82% vs avg
5yr avg: 39.22
30Y Low0.4·High11.2
Percentile shows where the current value sits in 30-year historical distribution. Sparklines show 5-year trend.
BUR Valuation Multiples
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
Burford Capital Limited trades at 7.8x earnings, 68% below its 5-year average of 24.5x, sitting at the 17th percentile of its historical range. Compared to the Financial Services sector median P/E of 13.1x, the stock trades at a discount of 40%. On a free-cash-flow basis, the stock trades at 5.2x P/FCF, 58% below the 5-year average of 12.4x.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $1.1B | $2.8B | $3.5B | $1.8B | $2.3B | $2.1B | $2.1B | $4.2B | — | — | — |
| Enterprise Value | $2.4B | $4.1B | $4.8B | $2.9B | $3.2B | $2.5B | $2.5B | $4.6B | — | — | — |
| P/E Ratio → | 7.83 | 19.32 | 5.69 | 58.21 | — | 14.88 | 9.67 | 13.19 | — | — | — |
| P/S Ratio | 2.39 | 5.92 | 3.22 | 6.58 | 21.39 | 6.71 | 6.29 | 10.83 | — | — | — |
| P/B Ratio | 0.35 | 0.86 | 1.08 | 0.75 | 1.10 | 1.08 | 1.34 | 3.08 | — | — | — |
| P/FCF | 5.23 | 12.95 | — | — | — | 11.78 | — | — | — | — | — |
| P/OCF | 5.21 | 12.91 | — | — | — | 11.76 | — | — | — | — | — |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
BUR EV Ratios
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
Burford Capital Limited's enterprise value stands at 9.6x EBITDA, 92% below its 5-year average of 117.7x. The Financial Services sector median is 11.5x, placing the stock at a 16% discount on an enterprise-value basis.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 8.69 | 4.46 | 10.86 | 29.29 | 7.84 | 7.78 | 11.79 | — | — | — |
| EV / EBITDA | 9.62 | 16.19 | 5.80 | 25.93 | 529.48 | 11.32 | 10.70 | 12.97 | — | — | — |
| EV / EBIT | 9.62 | 16.19 | 5.95 | 26.97 | 1135.66 | 11.92 | — | 13.25 | — | — | — |
| EV / FCF | — | 19.00 | — | — | — | 13.77 | — | — | — | — | — |
BUR Profitability
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Burford Capital Limited earns an operating margin of 53.7%, significantly above the Financial Services sector average of 21.6%. Operating margins have expanded from 40.3% to 53.7% over the past 3 years, signaling improving operational efficiency. ROE of 4.5% is modest, trailing the sector median of 9.4%. ROIC of 3.9% represents below-average returns on invested capital versus a sector median of 5.7%.
Margins
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 72.3% | 72.3% | 98.5% | 72.3% | 47.8% | 98.5% | 96.6% | 81.5% | 83.2% | 73.9% | — |
| Operating Margin | 53.7% | 53.7% | 75.6% | 40.3% | 2.6% | 65.9% | 68.8% | 88.3% | 85.5% | 78.6% | — |
| Net Profit Margin | 31.0% | 31.0% | 56.6% | 11.3% | -26.6% | 45.2% | 64.7% | 81.9% | 78.1% | 72.7% | 69.8% |
Return on Capital
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | 4.5% | 4.5% | 21.8% | 1.4% | -1.4% | 8.2% | 14.6% | 29.4% | 35.7% | 21.1% | 16.1% |
| ROA | 2.4% | 2.4% | 12.1% | 0.8% | -0.9% | 5.3% | 8.5% | 16.6% | 20.2% | 13.9% | 11.7% |
| ROIC | 3.9% | 3.9% | 14.5% | 2.4% | 0.1% | 6.5% | 8.0% | 15.6% | 21.2% | 14.6% | — |
| ROCE | 4.2% | 4.2% | 16.2% | 2.7% | 0.1% | 7.8% | 9.1% | 18.0% | 22.8% | 16.0% | — |
BUR Leverage & Debt
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
Burford Capital Limited carries a Debt/EBITDA ratio of 7.0x, which is highly leveraged (69% above the sector average of 4.1x). Net debt stands at $1.3B ($1.8B total debt minus $470M cash). Interest coverage of just 1.9x is concerning — the company has limited headroom to absorb earnings volatility before struggling with debt service.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 0.55 | 0.55 | 0.48 | 0.53 | 0.49 | 0.35 | 0.44 | 0.47 | 0.61 | 0.07 | 0.30 |
| Debt / EBITDA | 7.01 | 7.01 | 1.87 | 11.17 | 172.93 | 3.11 | 2.84 | 1.81 | 1.71 | 0.37 | — |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 0.40 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 0.41 | 0.18 | 0.32 | 0.27 | 0.44 | -0.19 | 0.20 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 5.16 | 5.16 | 1.60 | 10.22 | 142.79 | 1.64 | 2.05 | 1.06 | 1.23 | -0.97 | — |
| Debt / FCF | — | 6.06 | — | — | — | 1.99 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Interest Coverage | 1.94 | 1.94 | 8.62 | 1.45 | 0.05 | 5.34 | 5.87 | 8.89 | 11.60 | 8.64 | — |
BUR Liquidity & Efficiency
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
Burford Capital Limited's current ratio of 56.30x is well above the 1.0 safety threshold, indicating strong short-term liquidity with ample room to cover current liabilities. The current ratio has improved from 14.61x to 56.30x over the past 3 years.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 56.30 | 56.30 | 15.02 | 14.61 | 20.68 | 38.10 | 36.36 | 51.03 | 33.96 | 2.93 | 6.53 |
| Quick Ratio | 56.30 | 56.30 | 15.02 | 14.61 | 20.68 | 38.10 | 36.36 | 51.03 | 33.96 | 2.93 | 6.53 |
| Cash Ratio | 38.85 | 38.85 | 6.41 | 6.40 | 12.95 | 33.72 | 19.72 | 27.35 | 22.94 | 2.20 | 2.27 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 0.08 | 0.18 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.12 | 0.12 | 0.17 | 0.21 | 0.15 | 0.16 |
| Inventory Turnover | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
BUR Shareholder Yields
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Burford Capital Limited returns 2.9% to shareholders annually — split between a 2.4% dividend yield and 0.5% buyback yield. The payout ratio of 18.7% is conservative, leaving significant room for dividend growth or reinvestment. The earnings yield of 12.8% (inverse of P/E) provides a useful comparison to bond yields when assessing the stock's relative attractiveness to fixed income.
Dividends
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 2.4% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.6% | 1.8% | — | 1.4% | 0.6% | — | — | — |
| Payout Ratio | 18.7% | 18.7% | 4.5% | 90.7% | — | — | 13.4% | 7.7% | 8.0% | 15.7% | 23.6% |
Total Shareholder Return Metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 | FY 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | 12.8% | 5.2% | 17.6% | 1.7% | — | 6.7% | 10.3% | 7.6% | — | — | — |
| FCF Yield | 19.1% | 7.7% | — | — | — | 8.5% | — | — | — | — | — |
| Buyback Yield | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | — | — | — |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 2.9% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 2.0% | 1.9% | 0.0% | 1.4% | 0.6% | — | — | — |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $219M | $223M | $219M | $219M | $220M | $220M | $211M | $208M | $205M | $209M |
Peer Comparison
Compare BUR with 10 similar companies in its peer group
| Company | Market Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | P/FCF | Gross Margin | Op Margin | ROE | ROIC | Debt/EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 BURYou | $1B | 7.8 | 9.6 | 5.2 | 72.3% | 53.7% | 4.5% | 3.9% | 7.0 |
 LPRO | $192M | -45.4 | 12.2 | — | 75.5% | 6.4% | -5.5% | 2.3% | 10.5 |
 PFLT | $888M | 12.4 | 37.7 | 9.3 | 45.6% | 39.4% | 6.8% | 2.1% | 26.3 |
 ECPG | $2B | 7.5 | 8.8 | 13.9 | 69.0% | 35.4% | 29.5% | 9.8% | 6.3 |
 PRA | $1B | 24.9 | 19.5 | — | 39.4% | 6.6% | 4.0% | 3.2% | 5.1 |
 PRAA | $803M | -2.7 | 1.7 | — | 99.2% | 33.9% | -27.3% | 11.2% | 0.1 |
 FCNCA | $23B | 11.8 | 11.2 | 11.0 | 61.4% | 20.5% | 9.9% | 3.8% | 10.6 |
 LZ | $1B | 75.9 | 14.1 | 7.1 | 65.9% | 1.9% | 11.6% | — | 0.4 |
 CSGP | $15B | 2107.2 | 83.7 | 361.6 | 75.2% | -2.2% | 0.1% | -0.9% | 6.7 |
 ICE | $88B | 27.1 | 16.7 | 20.6 | 61.9% | 38.7% | 11.7% | 7.5% | 3.1 |
 MSCI | $43B | 37.8 | 25.2 | 27.6 | 82.4% | 54.7% | — | 34.9% | 3.3 |
| Financial Services Median | — | 13.1 | 11.5 | 10.6 | 63.6% | 21.6% | 9.4% | 5.7% | 4.1 |
Peer selection based on competitive and market overlap. Compare multiple stocks →
Download Financial Ratios Data
Includes 30+ ratios · 14 years · Updated daily
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Start ComparisonBUR — Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying BUR stock.
What is Burford Capital Limited's P/E ratio?
Burford Capital Limited's current P/E ratio is 7.8x. The historical average is 20.2x. This places it at the 17th percentile of its historical range.
What is Burford Capital Limited's EV/EBITDA?
Burford Capital Limited's current EV/EBITDA is 9.6x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 13.8x.
What is Burford Capital Limited's ROE?
Burford Capital Limited's return on equity (ROE) is 4.5%. The historical average is 12.5%.
Is BUR stock overvalued?
Based on historical data, Burford Capital Limited is trading at a P/E of 7.8x. This is at the 17th percentile of its historical P/E range. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
What is Burford Capital Limited's dividend yield?
Burford Capital Limited's current dividend yield is 2.41% with a payout ratio of 18.7%.
What are Burford Capital Limited's profit margins?
Burford Capital Limited has 72.3% gross margin and 53.7% operating margin. Operating margin above 20% indicates strong pricing power and cost efficiency.
How much debt does Burford Capital Limited have?
Burford Capital Limited's Debt/EBITDA ratio is 7.0x, indicating high leverage. A ratio above 4x may signal elevated financial risk.