Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Stake Increased by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 0.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 548,219 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $946,353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Markel Group during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its holdings in Markel Group by 1,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 22 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Markel Group Trading Down 1.5 %

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,869.04 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,782.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,664.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,417.65 and a 52 week high of $2,063.68. The firm has a market cap of $24.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.39 and a beta of 0.78.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. On average, equities analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 97.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the acquisition, 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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 research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,685.17.

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.