Haverford Trust Co Cuts Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Haverford Trust Co reduced its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 32.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 294 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 140 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $508,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Markel Group by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 862 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,352,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Markel Group by 1.4% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 55,718 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $87,398,000 after acquiring an additional 766 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 16.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 4,540 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $7,121,000 after acquiring an additional 625 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 990 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,553,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on MKL shares. TD Cowen cut 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. StockNews.com lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Trading Down 0.3 %

MKL opened at $1,863.65 on Wednesday. Markel Group Inc. has a one year low of $1,417.65 and a one year high of $2,063.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,859.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,723.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.36 and a beta of 0.82.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its 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 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 year.

Insider Activity

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 63,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $118,426,699.78. This trade represents a 1.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952. Corporate insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Company 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.