Boston Partners Grows Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 17.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 281,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 42,178 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned about 2.19% of Markel Group worth $486,580,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quilter Plc boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 7.2% during the fourth quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 33,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $57,206,000 after buying an additional 2,234 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 25.2% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,247,000 after buying an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth about $252,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Markel Group by 10.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,571 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,736,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC raised its position in Markel Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 3,339 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,764,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,860.89 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,841.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,711.83. 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 firm has a market cap of $23.76 billion, a PE ratio of 9.35 and a beta of 0.82. 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 released its 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 net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. On average, equities analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total transaction of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 63,436 shares in the company, valued at $117,992,863.08. The trade was a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were acquired 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 owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. 1.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MKL. TD Cowen cut shares of 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 report on Monday, December 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,702.20.

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.