Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,406 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 226 shares during the period. Markel Group accounts for about 1.0% of Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $19,058,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKL. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Markel Group by 1,685.1% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,678 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,471,000 after purchasing an additional 1,584 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in Markel Group by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,368 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,486,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in Markel Group by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 2,234 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,290,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Sather Financial Group Inc increased its position in Markel Group by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sather Financial Group Inc now owns 25,730 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,887,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC increased its position in Markel Group by 10,100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $150,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares in the company, valued at $63,718,474.86. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director A. Lynne Puckett purchased 72 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the purchase, the director now owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,352,908.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $1,475.00 target price on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,600.00 price objective on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Friday, March 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,450.00.

Markel Group Stock Performance

MKL traded down $14.43 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,436.52. 33,777 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 37,614. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $18.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.77 and a beta of 0.70. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,272.43 and a 12 month high of $1,560.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,483.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,444.67.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $23.58 by $32.90. The company had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 12.63%. Analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current 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.