Sather Financial Group Inc Trims Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Sather Financial Group Inc lowered its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 28,411 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 55 shares during the quarter. Markel Group comprises about 3.1% of Sather Financial Group Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest position. Sather Financial Group Inc’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $49,044,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SpiderRock Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 199.4% during the 3rd quarter. SpiderRock Advisors LLC now owns 473 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $742,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 72.4% in the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 381 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $598,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its stake in Markel Group by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,247,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. 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 worth $8,736,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp raised its position in Markel Group by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 329,209 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $516,391,000 after purchasing an additional 13,372 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price 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 directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised 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 report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,685.17.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,946.60 on Wednesday. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,417.65 and a 12 month high of $2,063.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.78 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,770.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,656.41.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 97.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Markel Group 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.