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

Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,702.20.

A number of research firms have commented on MKL. TD Cowen lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of MKL stock opened at $1,853.88 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,865.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,729.19. Markel Group has a one year low of $1,417.65 and a one year high of $2,063.68. The firm has a market cap of $23.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.31 and a beta of 0.82.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. On average, analysts expect that Markel Group will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total value of $2,129,829.54. Following the transaction, the director now owns 63,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $118,426,699.78. The trade was a 1.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Markel Group

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKL. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 32 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC increased its position in Markel Group by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 145 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $250,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its stake in Markel Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 428 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $739,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 213 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 469 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $810,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the period. 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.