Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL) Short Interest Up 18.8% in March

Arch Capital Group Ltd. (NASDAQ:ACGL - Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,300,000 shares, an increase of 18.8% from the March 15th total of 4,460,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,910,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Approximately 1.5% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Arch Capital Group

In other Arch Capital Group 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 value of $1,055,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 140,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,742,093. This represents a 7.65 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arch Capital Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACGL. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Arch Capital Group by 4.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 7,438,738 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $832,246,000 after purchasing an additional 337,786 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Arch Capital Group during the 3rd quarter worth $1,106,000. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Arch Capital Group by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 29,067 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $3,252,000 after buying an additional 454 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Arch Capital Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $312,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Arch Capital Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,817,000. 89.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arch Capital Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ACGL traded down $0.44 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $92.51. 1,108,291 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,735,784. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $91.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $95.49. The stock has a market cap of $34.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.26, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Arch Capital Group has a one year low of $82.49 and a one year high of $116.47.

Arch Capital Group (NASDAQ:ACGL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The insurance provider reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.90 by $0.36. Arch Capital Group had a return on equity of 17.96% and a net margin of 24.73%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Arch Capital Group will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ACGL. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Arch Capital Group from $107.00 to $106.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group cut their price target on Arch Capital Group from $127.00 to $124.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Arch Capital Group from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Arch Capital Group from $105.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Arch Capital Group from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arch Capital Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $114.88.

Arch Capital Group Company 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.