Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC Sells 1,956 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,726 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,956 shares during the period. Markel Group makes up approximately 3.0% of Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC owned about 0.69% of Markel Group worth $153,161,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Davis Selected Advisers increased its holdings 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. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Markel Group by 4.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 329,209 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $516,391,000 after acquiring an additional 13,372 shares during the period. Boston Partners grew its holdings in Markel Group by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 281,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $486,580,000 after acquiring an additional 42,178 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Markel Group by 5.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 209,054 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $327,131,000 after acquiring an additional 10,254 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $169,852,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Down 0.3 %

Markel Group stock opened at $1,846.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.28 and a beta of 0.82. Markel Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,417.65 and a fifty-two week high of $2,063.68. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $1,849.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,715.44.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. Analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,702.20.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In related news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. The trade was 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 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

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.