Lathrop Investment Management Corp Boosts Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Lathrop Investment Management Corp lifted its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 11.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,776 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 815 shares during the quarter. Markel Group accounts for 2.3% of Lathrop Investment Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Lathrop Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $11,041,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE increased its position 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 valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Markel Group by 133.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 21 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC increased its position in Markel Group by 3,200.0% during the third quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 66 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Markel Group during the third quarter valued at $125,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director A. Lynne Puckett acquired 72 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,352,908.80. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1,414.74 per share, for a total transaction of $141,474.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 45,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Down 1.0 %

NYSE:MKL traded down $14.43 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,436.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 33,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 37,614. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,272.43 and a 1 year high of $1,560.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,483.67 and a 200-day moving average of $1,444.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.73 billion, a PE ratio of 9.77 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. Equities research analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $1,475.00 price objective on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Janney Montgomery Scott restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,600.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a report on Monday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Markel Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,450.00.

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.