Markel Group Inc. $MKL Stock Holdings Cut by Lafayette Investments Inc.

Lafayette Investments Inc. lowered its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 2.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,901 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 492 shares during the quarter. Markel Group comprises about 7.7% of Lafayette Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest holding. Lafayette Investments Inc.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $38,092,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Davis Selected Advisers raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 415,160 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $892,496,000 after acquiring an additional 41,632 shares during the period. Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 75.9% during the 2nd quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 336,369 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $671,850,000 after purchasing an additional 145,146 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 304,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $581,818,000 after purchasing an additional 6,160 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its holdings in Markel Group by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 209,999 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $452,365,000 after purchasing an additional 4,972 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. increased its holdings in Markel Group by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 204,861 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $440,379,000 after purchasing an additional 23,631 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of MKL opened at $1,978.80 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.26 and a beta of 0.66. Markel Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,719.41 and a fifty-two week high of $2,207.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $1,853.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,971.77.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The insurance provider reported ($18.90) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $26.38 by ($45.28). The business had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.66 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 10.85% and a return on equity of 7.90%. On average, research analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 113.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Greta J. Harris sold 76 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,847.31, for a total transaction of $140,395.56. Following the sale, the director owned 645 shares in the company, valued at $1,191,514.95. This represents a 10.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Diane Leopold purchased 50 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,789.19 per share, for a total transaction of $89,459.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 550 shares in the company, valued at $984,054.50. This represents a 10.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Markel Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Markel Group in a research report on Wednesday. They set an “underperform” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Brean Capital initiated coverage on Markel Group in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $2,100.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on Markel Group from $2,100.00 to $1,950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $2,025.00.

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.