Cannell & Spears LLC Raises Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Cannell & Spears LLC grew its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,903 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the period. Cannell & Spears LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $3,285,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MKL. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth about $254,795,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth about $169,852,000. Davis Selected Advisers increased its stake in shares of Markel Group by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 370,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $639,606,000 after buying an additional 80,922 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $98,743,000. Finally, Boston Partners lifted its stake in Markel Group by 17.6% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 281,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $486,580,000 after acquiring an additional 42,178 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Markel Group stock opened at $1,867.00 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,867.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,732.85. The stock has a market cap of $23.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.38 and a beta of 0.82. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,417.65 and a 12-month high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One equities 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.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,702.20.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total transaction of $2,129,829.54. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 63,722 shares in the company, valued at $118,426,699.78. The trade was a 1.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 in the last three months. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Markel Group 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.