Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Receives Average Recommendation of "Reduce" from Analysts

Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have given a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $1,702.20.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MKL shares. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the company from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total value of $2,129,829.54. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 63,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $118,426,699.78. The trade was a 1.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 over the last 90 days. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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Institutional Trading of Markel Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of MKL. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of MKL traded down $6.85 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $1,862.25. The company had a trading volume of 7,550 shares, compared to its average volume of 45,691. Markel Group has a twelve month low of $1,417.65 and a twelve month 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's 50-day moving average is $1,862.13 and its 200-day moving average is $1,724.68. The company has a market capitalization of $23.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.36 and a beta of 0.82.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Markel Group will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

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.