Bradyco Inc. Buys New Shares in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Bradyco Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,474 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,271,000. Markel Group comprises approximately 3.0% of Bradyco Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MKL. Andra AP fonden lifted its holdings in Markel Group by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Andra AP fonden now owns 4,640 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,010,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 471 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $813,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC increased its stake in shares of Markel Group by 361.9% in the fourth quarter. Inceptionr LLC now owns 896 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,547,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth $98,743,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Markel Group by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 3,763 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $6,496,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of Markel Group stock opened at $1,898.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $24.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.54 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1,823.82 and its 200 day moving average is $1,696.55. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,417.65 and a 1 year high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MKL shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,685.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total transaction of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 63,436 shares in the company, valued at $117,992,863.08. This represents a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952. 1.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Markel Group Company Profile

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.