Scotia Capital Inc. Decreases Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Scotia Capital Inc. cut its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 32.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 805 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 383 shares during the quarter. Scotia Capital Inc.'s holdings in Markel Group were worth $1,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 3.8% in the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 273 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 30.0% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 1,657 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $2,599,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 6,000.0% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 61 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its stake in Markel Group by 9.8% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,361,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Markel Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Markel Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MKL traded up $4.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $1,767.46. 223,077 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 48,911. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.88 and a beta of 0.70. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,433.06 and a 52-week high of $2,063.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The business's fifty day moving average is $1,835.67 and its 200-day moving average is $1,751.31.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. As a group, analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.66% of the company's stock.

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.