L.K. Benson & Company P.C. Invests $252,000 in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

L.K. Benson & Company P.C. purchased a new stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 146 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Markel Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Markel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their position. The purchase 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 that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total value 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 trade represents a 1.22 % 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 valued at $3,778,952 over the last 90 days. 1.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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 note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,844.02 on Wednesday. Markel Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $1,417.65 and a 1-year high of $2,063.68. The stock has a market cap of $23.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.26 and a beta of 0.82. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $1,843.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,713.55.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. On average, research analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.