Sterling Capital Management LLC Trims Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Sterling Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 39.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,532 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 3,000 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in Markel Group were worth $7,823,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Davis Selected Advisers increased its position in Markel Group by 27.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its stake in Markel Group by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 281,820 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $486,580,000 after buying an additional 42,178 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Markel Group by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 209,054 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $327,131,000 after purchasing an additional 10,254 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at $254,795,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter worth $169,852,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Insider Activity

In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a 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 shares were sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total value of $2,129,829.54. Following the transaction, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. Insiders own 1.66% of the company's stock.

Markel Group Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of MKL traded up $14.24 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $1,777.49. 28,181 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 63,463. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.93 and a beta of 0.70. The business's 50-day moving average price is $1,843.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,748.60. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,420.04 and a 1 year high of $2,063.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

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 net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Markel Group 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.