Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) has received a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,520.00.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $1,600.00 price objective on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Markel Group from $1,475.00 to $1,625.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,400.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd.

Markel Group Stock Performance

NYSE MKL opened at $1,575.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.61. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,579.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,499.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.51 and a beta of 0.73. Markel Group has a fifty-two week low of $1,295.65 and a fifty-two week high of $1,670.24.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The insurance provider reported $18.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $18.50 by ($0.33). The firm had revenue of $3.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.62 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 15.23% and a return on equity of 11.18%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Markel Group will post 82.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Markel Group news, Director Greta J. Harris sold 122 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,620.83, for a total value of $197,741.26. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 634 shares in the company, valued at $1,027,606.22. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,638.39, for a total transaction of $4,915,170.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 66,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $109,228,184.52. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Greta J. Harris sold 122 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,620.83, for a total transaction of $197,741.26. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,027,606.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Markel Group

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,191,714 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,692,115,000 after purchasing an additional 9,216 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Markel Group by 3.2% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 539,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $793,979,000 after acquiring an additional 16,597 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised its position in Markel Group by 36.7% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 214,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $326,124,000 after acquiring an additional 57,528 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at $214,216,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 129,541 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $183,935,000 after purchasing an additional 3,476 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

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.