Steven A. Markel Sells 800 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Stock

Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total transaction of $1,485,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 64,868 shares in the company, valued at $120,446,902.40. This trade represents a 1.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Markel Group Price Performance

MKL opened at $1,887.51 on Thursday. Markel Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $1,417.65 and a twelve month high of $2,063.68. 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 firm has a market cap of $24.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.48 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,799.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,680.58.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKL has been the subject of several analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,685.17.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Markel Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Markel Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Markel Group during the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.