StockNews.com Downgrades Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) to Hold

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

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock 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 stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,651.83.

Markel Group Stock Performance

MKL traded down $2.39 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1,707.64. The company had a trading volume of 48,558 shares, compared to its average volume of 43,105. Markel Group has a 12-month low of $1,342.66 and a 12-month high of $1,733.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1,581.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,580.65. The stock has a market cap of $21.96 billion, a PE ratio of 7.88 and a beta of 0.73.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 10.86%. The business had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Markel Group will post 89.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its position in Markel Group by 1,000.0% in the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 22 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 833.3% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 28 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Markel Group in the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

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.