Banyan Capital Management Inc. Has $16.82 Million Stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Banyan Capital Management Inc. lessened its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 0.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,721 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 67 shares during the quarter. Markel Group accounts for about 9.7% of Banyan Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Banyan Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $16,817,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MKL. Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its stake in Markel Group by 1,000.0% during the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 22 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Markel Group by 833.3% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 28 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Markel Group during the second quarter valued at $45,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new stake in Markel Group during the second quarter valued at $55,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Markel Group during the second quarter valued at $65,000. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MKL. StockNews.com lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup upped their price target 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 lowered their price target on shares of 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,651.83.

Markel Group Stock Down 0.1 %

Markel Group stock opened at $1,707.64 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,581.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,581.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. Markel Group Inc. has a one year low of $1,342.66 and a one year high of $1,733.58.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted 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 company had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 17.03%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 89.27 earnings per share for the current year.

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.