Lafayette Investments Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Lafayette Investments Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,310 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 96 shares during the period. Markel Group makes up approximately 7.5% of Lafayette Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $35,060,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 38.7% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 3,962 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,839,000 after acquiring an additional 1,106 shares during the last quarter. Giverny Capital Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Giverny Capital Inc. now owns 43,331 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $74,799,000 after buying an additional 647 shares in the last quarter. Barr E S & Co. lifted its position in Markel Group by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Barr E S & Co. now owns 80,853 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $139,571,000 after buying an additional 1,957 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp lifted its position in Markel Group by 115.7% in the 4th quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 932 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,609,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $233,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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 report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,702.20.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total transaction of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 63,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $117,992,863.08. This trade represents a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Up 1.1 %

NYSE MKL opened at $1,790.07 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $1,854.48 and its 200 day moving average is $1,748.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.75 billion, a PE ratio of 8.99 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,417.65 and a 1 year high of $2,063.68.

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

Markel Group Profile

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.