Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $1,450.00.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $1,475.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,600.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a research note on Monday, February 5th.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In other news, Director A. Lynne Puckett bought 72 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,352,908.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, Director A. Lynne Puckett bought 72 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,352,908.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1,414.74 per share, for a total transaction of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,718,474.86. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Markel Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in Markel Group by 72.7% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 19 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 8 shares in the last quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE grew its holdings in Markel Group by 150.0% during the third quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 20 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Markel Group by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 21 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in Markel Group during the second quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of MKL stock opened at $1,427.07 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,482.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,445.33. Markel Group has a one year low of $1,272.43 and a one year high of $1,560.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.61 billion, a PE ratio of 9.71 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $23.58 by $32.90. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 12.63%. The business had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.75 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Markel Group will post 80.08 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.