DF Dent & Co. Inc. Has $143.11 Million Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

DF Dent & Co. Inc. trimmed its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 15.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 82,906 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 15,172 shares during the period. Markel Group comprises about 1.8% of DF Dent & Co. Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. DF Dent & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $143,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Markel Group during the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Markel Group by 3,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 31 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total transaction of $1,485,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,446,902.40. This represents a 1.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952 over the last ninety days. 1.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MKL shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Markel Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of MKL opened at $1,880.79 on Thursday. Markel Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $1,417.65 and a twelve month high of $2,063.68. The stock has a market cap of $24.02 billion, a PE ratio of 9.45 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $1,870.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,735.98.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Markel Group

Markel Group Inc, a diverse holding company, engages in marketing and underwriting specialty insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The company offers general and professional liability, personal lines, marine and energy, specialty programs, and workers' compensation insurance products; and property coverages that include fire, allied lines, and other specialized property coverages, including catastrophe-exposed property risks, such as earthquake and wind.