Davis Selected Advisers Acquires 80,922 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Davis Selected Advisers boosted its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 27.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 370,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 80,922 shares during the period. Markel Group accounts for about 3.7% of Davis Selected Advisers’ holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Davis Selected Advisers’ holdings in Markel Group were worth $639,606,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MKL. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in Markel Group by 134.2% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 1,192 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,870,000 after acquiring an additional 683 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 8.6% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 5,084 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $7,975,000 after acquiring an additional 404 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Markel Group by 5.9% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 269 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $422,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Markel Group by 3.8% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 462 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $725,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC grew its position in Markel Group by 10.9% in the third quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 3,186 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,997,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total transaction of $1,485,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 in the last three months. 1.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MKL. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on 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. StockNews.com cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, TD Cowen cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Markel Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,685.17.

Markel Group Price Performance

MKL opened at $1,895.12 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,826.91 and a 200 day moving average of $1,698.88. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,417.65 and a 52-week high of $2,063.68. The stock has a market cap of $24.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.52 and a beta of 0.82.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS 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.