Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,937 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 150 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $8,430,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 111.3% during the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 77,995 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $110,745,000 after acquiring an additional 41,086 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Markel Group by 109.6% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 69,272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $102,002,000 after buying an additional 36,215 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Markel Group by 104.6% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 51,669 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $76,082,000 after buying an additional 26,418 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its stake in Markel Group by 2,272.6% in the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 26,336 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,779,000 after buying an additional 25,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Markel Group by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 539,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $793,979,000 after buying an additional 16,597 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $1,475.00 price objective on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $1,600.00 target price on shares of Markel Group in a report on Friday, March 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,450.00.

Markel Group Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MKL traded down $13.95 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $1,448.41. 29,811 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 48,465. The firm has a market cap of $18.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.62. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,272.43 and a 52-week high of $1,560.00. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,484.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,444.99.

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

Insider Activity at Markel Group

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