Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,651.83.

Several research firms recently commented on MKL. Citigroup upped their target price on Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

Markel Group Price Performance

MKL stock traded up $23.79 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $1,694.12. 49,402 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 43,229. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $1,587.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,583.79. The stock has a market cap of $21.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.71 and a beta of 0.73. Markel Group has a fifty-two week low of $1,342.66 and a fifty-two week high of $1,733.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 17.03%. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. Research analysts predict that Markel Group will post 89.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 4.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 329,209 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $516,391,000 after acquiring an additional 13,372 shares during the period. Davis Selected Advisers grew its position in Markel Group by 0.3% in the second quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 287,061 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $452,311,000 after acquiring an additional 970 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 36.7% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 214,400 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $326,124,000 after buying an additional 57,528 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 209,054 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $327,131,000 after buying an additional 10,254 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 113,556 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $178,931,000 after buying an additional 5,310 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.