Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Decreases Position in Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. decreased its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 17.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 58,290 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 12,152 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.47% of Markel Group worth $111,571,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $317,583,000. Select Equity Group L.P. grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 75.9% in the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 336,369 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $671,850,000 after purchasing an additional 145,146 shares during the last quarter. Davis Selected Advisers grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 415,160 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $892,496,000 after purchasing an additional 41,632 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Markel Group by 3,235.4% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 25,316 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $54,421,000 after purchasing an additional 24,557 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. raised its position in shares of Markel Group by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 204,861 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $440,379,000 after purchasing an additional 23,631 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE MKL opened at $1,995.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.38 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.63. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,719.41 and a 1 year high of $2,207.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $1,891.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,950.21.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The insurance provider reported ($18.90) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $26.38 by ($45.28). Markel Group had a net margin of 10.85% and a return on equity of 7.90%. The business had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.66 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 114.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MKL shares. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Markel Group from $2,100.00 to $1,950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Markel Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Markel Group in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. They issued an “underperform” rating for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Markel Group currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $2,025.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

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

Markel Group Company Profile

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.