Stonebridge Financial Group LLC Purchases Shares of 67 Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 67 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $116,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gold Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Markel Group by 0.6% during the third quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,219 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,912,000 after buying an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 428 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $739,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust grew its stake in shares of Markel Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 213 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Day Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 0.5% in the third quarter. Freedom Day Solutions LLC now owns 1,483 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,326,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 1.1% during the third quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 745 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MKL shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,685.17.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of MKL stock opened at $1,897.59 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $1,774.65 and its 200 day moving average is $1,658.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.53 and a beta of 0.78. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,417.65 and a 12 month high of $2,063.68. 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 (NYSE:MKL) last announced 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 97.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

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.