Arizona State Retirement System Boosts Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,763 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $6,496,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SpiderRock Advisors LLC lifted its position in Markel Group by 199.4% during the third quarter. SpiderRock Advisors LLC now owns 473 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $742,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Quilter Plc increased its stake in Markel Group by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 33,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $57,206,000 after purchasing an additional 2,234 shares in the last quarter. Versor Investments LP increased its stake in Markel Group by 72.4% during the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 381 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $598,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its stake in Markel Group by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,247,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,895.12 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.52 and a beta of 0.82. Markel Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $1,417.65 and a 1-year high of $2,063.68. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,826.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,698.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total transaction of $1,485,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $120,446,902.40. This trade represents a 1.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. 1.71% of the stock is owned by company 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.