Needham Investment Management LLC Acquires 450 Shares of Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Needham Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,225 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 450 shares during the quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $13,382,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group during the third quarter valued at $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Basepoint Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Markel Group Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE MKL opened at $1,858.95 on Tuesday. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,719.41 and a 12 month high of $2,207.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,865.32 and a 200-day moving average of $1,988.10. The company has a market cap of $23.26 billion, a PE ratio of 13.40 and a beta of 0.67.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The insurance provider reported ($18.90) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $26.38 by ($45.28). Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.90% and a net margin of 10.85%.The firm had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.66 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 113.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Markel Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Brean Capital started coverage on Markel Group in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $2,100.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Markel Group from $2,100.00 to $1,950.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $2,025.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Markel Group news, Director Greta J. Harris sold 76 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,847.31, for a total value of $140,395.56. Following the sale, the director owned 645 shares in the company, valued at $1,191,514.95. This represents a 10.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Diane Leopold acquired 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1,792.61 per share, with a total value of $179,261.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,925,815.90. This trade represents a 4.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 1.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Markel Group

Markel Group (NYSE: MKL) is a diversified insurance holding company best known for underwriting specialty insurance products. Founded in 1930 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company provides a wide range of commercial property and casualty coverages tailored to niche and hard-to-place risks. Its underwriting operations focus on specialty lines across multiple industries, delivering customized policy structures, program administration, and claims management services for complex exposures.

In addition to primary specialty insurance, Markel operates reinsurance and alternative risk-transfer activities and manages invested assets derived from underwriting float.