Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Holdings Raised by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 95.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,367 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,133 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $6,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $452,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 151 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Parisi Gray Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Parisi Gray Wealth Management now owns 541 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $768,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 0.4% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 2,368 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,486,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 4.0% during the third quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MKL shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $1,475.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $1,600.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a research note on Monday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,450.00.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In related news, Director A. Lynne Puckett acquired 72 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,352,908.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 45,039 shares in the company, valued at $63,718,474.86. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director A. Lynne Puckett bought 72 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,352,908.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Markel Group Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of MKL stock opened at $1,448.41 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $1,484.20 and a 200-day moving average of $1,444.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,272.43 and a 12-month high of $1,560.00. The company has a market capitalization of $18.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.86 and a beta of 0.70.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $23.58 by $32.90. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. The company had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.