Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) has earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,702.20.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd.

Markel Group Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,870.21 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1,856.87 and its 200-day moving average is $1,721.35. The company has a market cap of $23.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.40 and a beta of 0.82. Markel Group has a 52-week low of $1,417.65 and a 52-week high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (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%. Equities research analysts predict that Markel Group will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 63,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $117,992,863.08. The trade was a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 over the last quarter. 1.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Markel Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quilter Plc grew its stake in Markel Group by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 33,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $57,206,000 after buying an additional 2,234 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 25.2% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,247,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $252,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Markel Group by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,571 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,736,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 3,339 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,764,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Company 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.