Report

Retail bond issue oversubscribed


Market Data:

Price (p): 276.5

Mkt Cap (£m): 565.6

Sector: FTSE sector: Financials

The Bond: The bond has an annual 6.125% coupon and will mature on 26 October 2024. All the other terms are the same as the existing issue, keeping Burford’s capital structure straightforward.

Estimates: In our previous note we had assumed a fundraising of £100m and so there are no adjustments to be made to our estimates. As before, we expect the recent $100m investment to a major global law firm to have little effect on the 2016E earnings, but 2017E will start to see the benefits.

Valuation: The upgrades to our 2017E figures suggest that Burford remains undervalued relative to its potential. The prospective P/E for 2017E is just 9.7 times. With the additional investment we believe an RoE in the 15-17% range is sustainable while still growing its invested capital quickly..

Risks: The investment portfolio has some very large investments, which means revenue may be volatile. As the company matures we would expect that to decrease, but not to disappear. As expected, revenue from the insurance business is declining post the adoption of the Jackson reforms.

Investment summary: Burford has already demonstrated an impressive ability to deliver good returns in a growing market while investing its capital base. As the invested capital continues to grow, the litigation investment business should continue to produce strong earnings growth.


Underlying
Burford Capital Limited

Provider
Hardman & Co
Hardman & Co

We are a rapidly growing, innovative corporate research & consultancy business, based in London, serving the needs of both public and private companies.

Our expert team of sector analysts and market professionals collectively have over 400 years of experience.  This depth of knowledge and a reputation for integrity have built trust with investors. With effective communication and precision distribution, we help companies disseminate their investment message to interested investors, as well as advise them on strategy.

Our smaller, boutique structure allows us to provide first-class customer service and to deliver a wide range of ad-hoc services for multiple clients with different needs.

Other Reports on these Companies
Other Reports from Hardman & Co

ResearchPool Subscriptions

Get the most out of your insights

Get in touch