Solitude Financial Services Lowers Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Solitude Financial Services decreased its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,043 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 32 shares during the quarter. Markel Group accounts for approximately 0.8% of Solitude Financial Services’ portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. Solitude Financial Services’ holdings in Markel Group were worth $1,800,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Markel Group in the third quarter worth $36,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was acquired 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 approximately $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total value of $1,485,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 64,868 shares in the company, valued at approximately $120,446,902.40. This represents a 1.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MKL shares. StockNews.com cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. TD Cowen lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock 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 given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,685.17.

Markel Group Price Performance

MKL opened at $1,895.12 on Monday. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,826.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,700.86. The firm has a market cap of $24.20 billion, a price-to-earnings 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.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. As a group, analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current year.

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.