Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Sets New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $1,698.50 and last traded at $1,698.50, with a volume of 3111 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,655.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup increased their target price on Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,651.83.

Markel Group Stock Down 0.1 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,577.60 and a 200 day moving average of $1,578.86. 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 has a market capitalization of $21.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.88 and a beta of 0.73.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 10.86%. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 89.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Markel Group

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Markel Group by 108.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 309 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Markel Group by 41.7% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 4,308 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares in the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 900 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,369,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 31.7% during the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,600 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $11,563,000 after buying an additional 1,829 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Markel Group by 4.7% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 758 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,153,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

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.