Analysts Set Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Target Price at $2,025.00

Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $2,025.00.

MKL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Markel Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Markel Group in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In related news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,119.12, for a total value of $2,818,429.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 60,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $127,927,036.16. This trade represents a 2.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Simon Wilson sold 75 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,072.94, for a total transaction of $155,470.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,770 shares in the company, valued at $3,669,103.80. This represents a 4.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,575 shares of company stock worth $3,330,900. Corporate insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Markel Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Canerector Inc. lifted its position in Markel Group by 191,036.0% during the third quarter. Canerector Inc. now owns 10,703,616 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $20,458,463,000 after buying an additional 10,698,016 shares during the period. Select Equity Group L.P. increased its holdings in Markel Group by 75.9% during the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 336,369 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $671,850,000 after buying an additional 145,146 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $288,361,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Markel Group in the 3rd quarter worth $46,738,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd purchased a new position in Markel Group during the third quarter valued at $38,288,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of MKL stock opened at $2,056.44 on Friday. Markel Group has a one year low of $1,621.89 and a one year high of $2,207.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $2,107.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $2,006.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market cap of $25.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.87 and a beta of 0.80.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $30.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $22.77 by $8.13. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 7.76%. The firm had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.77 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Markel Group will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Markel Group Company Profile

Markel Group (NYSE: MKL) is a diversified insurance holding company best known for underwriting specialty insurance products. Founded in 1930 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company provides a wide range of commercial property and casualty coverages tailored to niche and hard-to-place risks. Its underwriting operations focus on specialty lines across multiple industries, delivering customized policy structures, program administration, and claims management services for complex exposures.

In addition to primary specialty insurance, Markel operates reinsurance and alternative risk-transfer activities and manages invested assets derived from underwriting float.