Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Stake Reduced by Gulf International Bank UK Ltd

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd cut its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 992 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 9 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $1,712,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MKL. Gold Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Markel Group by 0.6% during the 3rd 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 during the period. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 7 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in Markel Group by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 213 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Markel Group by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 469 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $810,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Advocates Investment Management raised its holdings in Markel Group by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $406,000 after buying an additional 8 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on MKL shares. TD Cowen downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,685.17.

Markel Group Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,934.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Markel Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,417.65 and a fifty-two week high of $2,063.68. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1,811.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,687.66. The stock has a market cap of $24.88 billion, a PE ratio of 9.72 and a beta of 0.78.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In related news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total value of $1,485,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $120,446,902.40. The trade was a 1.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952. 1.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.