California Public Employees Retirement System Lowers Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

California Public Employees Retirement System lowered its position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,741 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 2,037 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.46% of Markel Group worth $103,127,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MKL. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Markel Group during the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its holdings in Markel Group by 3,000.0% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 31 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Markel Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now directly owns 63,722 shares in the company, valued at $118,426,699.78. This trade represents a 1.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. 1.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of MKL traded down $106.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,721.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 90,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 47,707. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,868.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,738.75. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,417.65 and a 52-week 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 company has a market cap of $21.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.65 and a beta of 0.82.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share 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, equities analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.