WealthPlan Investment Management LLC Increases Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

WealthPlan Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 5.3% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 414 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $649,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Partners boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 36.7% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 214,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $326,124,000 after purchasing an additional 57,528 shares in the last quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. boosted its position in Markel Group by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 85,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $134,320,000 after acquiring an additional 11,357 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 156,757.1% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 10,980 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $17,223,000 after acquiring an additional 10,973 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 2nd quarter worth $15,596,000. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 52.2% during the 2nd quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 22,341 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $35,202,000 after purchasing an additional 7,659 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on MKL. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,651.83.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MKL opened at $1,654.51 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,571.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,575.84. The stock has a market cap of $21.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.63 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,339.72 and a 12 month high of $1,676.56.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 10.86%. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 89.27 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.