Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 47,104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,806 shares during the period. Markel Group accounts for 1.8% of Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.36% of Markel Group worth $66,883,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 150.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 20 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 133.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 21 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 3,200.0% during the 3rd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 66 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $125,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Markel Group news, Director A. Lynne Puckett bought 72 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, for a total transaction of $101,468.16. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,352,908.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $1,414.74 per share, for a total transaction of $141,474.00. Following the purchase, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director A. Lynne Puckett bought 72 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1,409.28 per share, for a total transaction of $101,468.16. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 960 shares in the company, valued at $1,352,908.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Performance

MKL traded up $12.82 on Monday, hitting $1,449.34. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 36,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 48,141. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,483.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,444.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,295.65 and a 12 month high of $1,560.00. The firm has a market cap of $18.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.77 and a beta of 0.70.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 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 analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. Analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.