Sentry Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 317 Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 317 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $450,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKL. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 150.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 20 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 133.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 21 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $39,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MKL shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Janney Montgomery Scott restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,600.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $1,475.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a report on Friday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,450.00.

Markel Group Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE MKL opened at $1,423.05 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.71 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,482.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $1,445.33. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,272.43 and a 1 year high of $1,560.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $23.58 by $32.90. The firm had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.75 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $63,718,474.86. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director A. Lynne Puckett acquired 72 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,352,908.80. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,414.74 per share, for a total transaction of $141,474.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 45,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

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.