Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 27,891 Shares of Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) by 77.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,163 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 27,891 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Arch Capital Group were worth $754,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ACGL. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Arch Capital Group during the 4th quarter valued at $437,291,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Arch Capital Group during the 4th quarter valued at $410,010,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Arch Capital Group by 663.3% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,462,382 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $227,401,000 after buying an additional 2,139,782 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Arch Capital Group during the 4th quarter valued at $151,342,000. Finally, Swedbank AB boosted its position in Arch Capital Group by 268.8% during the 4th quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 1,261,957 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $116,542,000 after buying an additional 919,793 shares during the period. 89.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Arch Capital Group

In related news, insider Louis T. Petrillo sold 11,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.00, for a total transaction of $1,055,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 140,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,742,093. This represents a 7.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nicolas Papadopoulo sold 7,636 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.48, for a total transaction of $706,177.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 795,718 shares in the company, valued at $73,588,000.64. This trade represents a 0.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 110,946 shares of company stock valued at $10,392,092. 4.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ACGL shares. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Arch Capital Group from $100.00 to $93.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Arch Capital Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Arch Capital Group from $106.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Arch Capital Group from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Arch Capital Group from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $115.00.

Arch Capital Group Stock Up 3.0%

NASDAQ:ACGL opened at $93.54 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $92.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $93.64. The company has a market capitalization of $35.05 billion, a PE ratio of 8.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Arch Capital Group Ltd. has a 1-year low of $82.49 and a 1-year high of $116.47.

Arch Capital Group (NASDAQ:ACGL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The insurance provider reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $4.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.75 billion. Arch Capital Group had a return on equity of 17.96% and a net margin of 24.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.45 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Arch Capital Group Ltd. will post 8.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arch Capital Group Profile

Arch Capital Group Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance, reinsurance, and mortgage insurance products worldwide. The company's Insurance segment offers primary and excess casualty coverages; loss sensitive primary casualty insurance programs; directors' and officers' liability, errors and omissions liability, employment practices and fiduciary liability, crime, professional indemnity, and other financial related coverages; medical professional and general liability insurance coverages; and workers' compensation and umbrella liability, as well as commercial automobile and inland marine products.