Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Increases Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 9.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 138 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 3,000.0% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 31 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Markel Group Price Performance

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,867.00 on Tuesday. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,417.65 and a 52 week high of $2,063.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,867.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,732.85. The company has a market capitalization of $23.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.38 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

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 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%. Equities analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of the firm’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 owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $120,446,902.40. This trade represents a 1.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MKL shares. TD Cowen cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Markel Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,702.20.

About Markel Group

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.