Lafayette Investments Inc. Buys 346 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Lafayette Investments Inc. raised its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,391 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 346 shares during the quarter. Markel Group accounts for about 7.2% of Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Lafayette Investments Inc. owned approximately 0.15% of Markel Group worth $28,953,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE increased its stake in Markel Group by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 20 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Markel Group by 133.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 21 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Markel Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. acquired a new position in Markel Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Markel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MKL traded up $8.56 during trading on Thursday, reaching $1,437.07. The stock had a trading volume of 27,009 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,235. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,272.43 and a 52 week high of $1,560.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.79 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,482.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,444.88.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released 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. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. The company had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. As a group, analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.