Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Has $1.17 Million Stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System trimmed its position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 7.8% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 676 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 57 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $1,167,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Davis Selected Advisers raised its position in shares of Markel Group by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 370,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $639,606,000 after purchasing an additional 80,922 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Markel Group by 4.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 329,209 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $516,391,000 after purchasing an additional 13,372 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Markel Group by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 281,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $486,580,000 after purchasing an additional 42,178 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Markel Group by 5.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 209,054 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $327,131,000 after purchasing an additional 10,254 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $169,852,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Markel Group Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,833.40 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a PE ratio of 9.21 and a beta of 0.82. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $1,852.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,718.08. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,417.65 and a 1 year high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. Analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKL has been the subject of several recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. TD Cowen downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Markel Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In other news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total transaction of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 63,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $117,992,863.08. This represents a 0.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952 in the last quarter. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.