Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $1,698.50 and last traded at $1,698.50, with a volume of 3111 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,655.36.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MKL shares. StockNews.com upgraded Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price 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. Citigroup increased their price target on Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,651.83.

Markel Group Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $21.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.64 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $1,572.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,577.37.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. Analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 89.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Davis Selected Advisers increased its stake in Markel Group by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 287,061 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $452,311,000 after buying an additional 970 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Markel Group by 36.7% during 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 during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Markel Group by 4.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 113,556 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $178,931,000 after acquiring an additional 5,310 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its position in Markel Group by 4.3% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 85,464 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $129,441,000 after purchasing an additional 3,560 shares during the period. Finally, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 85,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $134,320,000 after purchasing an additional 11,357 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.