Royal Bank of Canada Cuts Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Price Target to $1,675.00

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) had its target price lowered by Royal Bank of Canada from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the insurance provider's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup increased their price objective on Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Markel Group in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $1,986.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,651.83.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MKL traded up $0.42 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,542.43. 68,662 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 42,651. The company has a market cap of $19.96 billion, a PE ratio of 7.15 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,568.21 and a 200 day moving average of $1,566.46. Markel Group has a 52-week low of $1,295.65 and a 52-week high of $1,670.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $21.97 by ($4.63). The company had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.74 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.14% and a net margin of 17.03%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Markel Group will post 91.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Lawrence A. Cunningham purchased 20 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $1,512.50 per share, with a total value of $30,250.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 743 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,787.50. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.71% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Markel Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 5.7% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 594 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $932,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. SpiderRock Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 199.4% during the third quarter. SpiderRock Advisors LLC now owns 473 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $742,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 0.6% during the third quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,219 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,912,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments bought a new position in shares of Markel Group during the third quarter valued at about $726,000. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Markel Group by 10.9% during the third quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 3,186 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $4,997,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.