California Public Employees Retirement System Sells 2,037 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure 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 about 0.46% of Markel Group worth $103,127,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 32 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC raised its position in Markel Group by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 145 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its position in Markel Group by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 428 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $739,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust lifted its stake in Markel Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 213 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 469 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $810,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price 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 equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Price Performance

MKL stock traded down $50.76 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $1,828.18. 48,644 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 47,372. 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 fifty day moving average price of $1,870.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,735.98. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $23.35 billion, a PE ratio of 9.18 and a beta of 0.82.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total transaction of $163,682.64. Following the transaction, the director now owns 63,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $117,992,863.08. The trade was a 0.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 in the last ninety days. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.