Madison Investment Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Madison Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 285 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $493,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Markel Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of Markel Group stock opened at $1,833.40 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.21 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,852.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,718.08. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,417.65 and a 52 week 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 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of Markel Group 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 63,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $117,992,863.08. This trade represents a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952. 1.71% of the stock is owned by 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.