Boston Partners Increases Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Boston Partners increased its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 17.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 281,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 42,178 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners’ holdings in Markel Group were worth $486,580,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MKL. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at $169,852,000. Davis Selected Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 370,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $639,606,000 after purchasing an additional 80,922 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at $98,743,000. Empirical Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at $54,173,000. Finally, Kennondale Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at $26,556,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Markel Group Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,860.89 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.35 and a beta of 0.82. Markel Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $1,417.65 and a 1-year high of $2,063.68. The company’s fifty day moving average is $1,841.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,711.83. 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 (NYSE:MKL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. Equities analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total value of $2,129,829.54. Following the sale, the director now owns 63,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $118,426,699.78. This trade represents a 1.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the company’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 acquisition, the chief executive officer now 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 have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on MKL. TD Cowen cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target 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 issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,702.20.

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.