Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,986.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,626.83.

Markel Group Price Performance

MKL stock opened at $1,574.72 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $20.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.51 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,562.47 and a 200-day moving average of $1,554.82. Markel Group has a 12-month low of $1,295.65 and a 12-month high of $1,670.24.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $25.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $20.76 by $5.19. The company had revenue of $3.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.86 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.12% and a net margin of 13.00%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Markel Group will post 89.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In other news, Director Lawrence A. Cunningham purchased 20 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $1,512.50 per share, for a total transaction of $30,250.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,787.50. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Markel Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MKL. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $45,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the second quarter worth approximately $55,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $57,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Markel Group by 90.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 38 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Markel Group during the second quarter worth approximately $65,000. Hedge funds and other 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.