Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Cut to “Hold” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Friday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,651.83.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Markel Group stock opened at $1,707.64 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1,581.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,581.49. 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 has a 52-week low of $1,342.66 and a 52-week high of $1,733.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88 and a beta of 0.73.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $21.97 by ($4.63). The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 17.03%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Markel Group will post 89.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MKL. Boston Partners raised its stake in Markel Group by 36.7% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 214,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $326,124,000 after acquiring an additional 57,528 shares during the period. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec boosted its position in Markel Group by 3,729.3% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 14,896 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $23,366,000 after buying an additional 14,507 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased 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 acquiring an additional 13,372 shares during the period. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lifted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 15.4% in the second quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 85,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $134,320,000 after acquiring an additional 11,357 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Markel Group by 156,757.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 10,980 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $17,223,000 after acquiring an additional 10,973 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.