Gold Investment Management Ltd. Boosts Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Gold Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,241 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Gold Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $2,142,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Markel Group by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,845 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $9,168,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its position in Markel Group by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 890 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,396,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in Markel Group by 47.3% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,966 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,084,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Markel Group by 8.6% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 151 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Markel Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Stock Performance

MKL opened at $1,850.33 on Monday. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,417.65 and a 12-month high of $2,063.68. The company has a market cap of $23.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.30 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company’s 50 day moving average is $1,837.87 and its 200 day moving average is $1,709.92.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total value of $1,485,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 64,868 shares in the company, valued at $120,446,902.40. This represents a 1.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952 over the last quarter. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.