Jefferies Financial Group Raises Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Price Target to $1,600.00

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) had its target price hoisted by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 3.29% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Markel Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,986.00 price target on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,643.50.

Markel Group Price Performance

MKL stock opened at $1,549.00 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1,557.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,558.70. Markel Group has a 12-month low of $1,295.65 and a 12-month high of $1,670.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a market cap of $20.14 billion, a PE ratio of 8.37 and a beta of 0.73.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $25.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $20.76 by $5.19. The company had revenue of $3.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.86 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.12% and a net margin of 13.00%. As a group, research analysts predict that Markel Group will post 89.1 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other news, Director Lawrence A. Cunningham bought 20 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1,512.50 per share, for a total transaction of $30,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,787.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Markel Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKL. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Markel Group by 833.3% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 28 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Markel Group in the second quarter worth approximately $45,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the second quarter valued at $55,000. Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 90.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 38 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.