Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Reaches New 52-Week High at $1,570.98

Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $1,570.98 and last traded at $1,555.94, with a volume of 57731 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $1,476.34.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on MKL. 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. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $1,475.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a report on Friday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,450.00.

Markel Group Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $1,483.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,444.07. The stock has a market cap of $20.56 billion, a PE ratio of 10.66 and a beta of 0.69.

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

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Trading of Markel Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MKL. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE grew its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 150.0% in the third quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 20 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted 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 purchasing an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC lifted 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 purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 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.