Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Shares Purchased by National Bank of Canada FI

National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,707 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $4,673,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in MKL. Davis Selected Advisers lifted its stake in Markel Group by 27.9% during 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 last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 4.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 329,209 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $516,391,000 after buying an additional 13,372 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 281,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $486,580,000 after acquiring an additional 42,178 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 5.2% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter worth $254,795,000. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Down 5.8 %

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,721.17 on Monday. Markel Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $1,417.65 and a 1-year high of $2,063.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.65 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $1,868.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,739.97.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MKL. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut 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 given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,702.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total value of $163,682.64. Following the sale, the director now owns 63,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $117,992,863.08. This represents a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952 in the last quarter. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.