HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Boosts Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC boosted its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 264 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $456,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its holdings in Markel Group by 3,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 31 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total transaction of $2,129,829.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 63,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $118,426,699.78. This represents a 1.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952. Corporate insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on MKL. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of Markel Group stock opened at $1,880.79 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $24.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.45 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. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,870.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,735.98. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,417.65 and a 52 week high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 EPS 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Markel Group 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.