Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC Has $14.88 Million Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC reduced its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 4.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,621 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 395 shares during the period. Markel Group comprises approximately 0.2% of Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Gardner Russo & Quinn LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Markel Group worth $14,882,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at $739,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in Markel Group by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 138 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $238,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. DnB Asset Management AS raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 2,609 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,504,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. denkapparat Operations GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $404,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $254,795,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Price Performance

NYSE MKL opened at $1,853.88 on Friday. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,417.65 and a 1 year high of $2,063.68. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,865.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,727.77. 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 company has a market cap of $23.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.31 and a beta of 0.82.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released 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 net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MKL. TD Cowen lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,702.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $120,446,902.40. This represents a 1.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

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.