Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Sees Large Volume Increase – Still a Buy?

Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) saw strong trading volume on Monday . 16,510 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 45% from the previous session’s volume of 30,074 shares.The stock last traded at $1,720.39 and had previously closed at $1,713.08.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen downgraded 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,626.83.

Markel Group Stock Up 0.8 %

The firm has a market cap of $22.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.96 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $1,700.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,614.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 10.86%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 86.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Markel Group

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SpiderRock Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 199.4% in the 3rd quarter. SpiderRock Advisors LLC now owns 473 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $742,000 after buying an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP raised its position in Markel Group by 72.4% in the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 381 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $598,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,803,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in Markel Group by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,571 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,736,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 329,209 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $516,391,000 after purchasing an additional 13,372 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.