Principal Financial Group Inc. Trims Stake in Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Principal Financial Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 24.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 401,876 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 131,259 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $769,297,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Markel Group by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 116 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $239,000 after buying an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 765 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,644,000 after buying an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC grew its stake in shares of Markel Group by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 160 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $344,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in Markel Group by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 41 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $88,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Markel Group by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 118 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 5 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Markel Group in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered Markel Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Wall Street Zen cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Markel Group from $2,100.00 to $1,950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Brean Capital started coverage on Markel Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $2,100.00 price target for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Markel Group currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $2,025.00.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other news, Director Greta J. Harris sold 76 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,847.31, for a total value of $140,395.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,191,514.95. The trade was a 10.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Diane Leopold bought 50 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $1,789.19 per share, with a total value of $89,459.50. Following the acquisition, the director owned 550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $984,054.50. This trade represents a 10.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Markel Group stock opened at $1,964.23 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,865.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,961.83. Markel Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $1,719.41 and a twelve month high of $2,207.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $24.57 billion, a PE ratio of 14.15 and a beta of 0.66.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The insurance provider reported ($18.90) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $26.38 by ($45.28). Markel Group had a net margin of 10.85% and a return on equity of 7.90%. The business had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.66 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 114.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Markel Group Company Profile

Markel Group (NYSE: MKL) is a diversified insurance holding company best known for underwriting specialty insurance products. Founded in 1930 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company provides a wide range of commercial property and casualty coverages tailored to niche and hard-to-place risks. Its underwriting operations focus on specialty lines across multiple industries, delivering customized policy structures, program administration, and claims management services for complex exposures.

In addition to primary specialty insurance, Markel operates reinsurance and alternative risk-transfer activities and manages invested assets derived from underwriting float.