First Trust Advisors LP Has $31 Million Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 37.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,959 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 10,869 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.14% of Markel Group worth $31,001,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Davis Selected Advisers raised its position in Markel Group by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 370,522 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $639,606,000 after purchasing an additional 80,922 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 281,820 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $486,580,000 after acquiring an additional 42,178 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $254,795,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth about $169,852,000. Finally, Barr E S & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Barr E S & Co. now owns 80,853 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $139,571,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Markel Group Trading Up 0.5 %

Markel Group stock traded up $9.83 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $1,812.98. 38,576 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 49,323. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $1,826.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,761.61. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $23.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.11 and a beta of 0.70. Markel Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,436.00 and a fifty-two week high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was 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 owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total value of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 63,436 shares in the company, valued at $117,992,863.08. The trade was a 0.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952 over the last quarter. 1.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on MKL shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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 investment 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 an average price target of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Company 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.