HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Raises Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 7.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 264 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 18 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $456,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cannell & Spears LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Cannell & Spears LLC now owns 1,903 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,285,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 10,599 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $18,296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,295 shares during the period. Inkwell Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth about $4,745,000. Allstate Corp purchased a new stake in Markel Group in the 4th quarter worth about $739,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Markel Group by 9.5% in the fourth 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. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on 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 downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Insider Activity

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total value of $1,485,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 64,868 shares in the company, valued at $120,446,902.40. The trade was a 1.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Markel Group Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,880.79 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The business’s 50 day moving average is $1,870.34 and its 200 day moving average is $1,735.98. The stock has a market cap of $24.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.45 and a beta of 0.82. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,417.65 and a 52-week high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

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.