Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Acquires 3,040 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 46.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,540 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,040 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $13,546,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MKL. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 150.0% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Markel Group by 133.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 21 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Markel Group by 26.2% in the third quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 53 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC grew its stake in Markel Group by 3,200.0% in the third quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 66 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, iA Global Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Markel Group in the third quarter worth $125,000. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of Markel Group stock traded down $0.30 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,471.11. 9,007 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 48,473. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,272.43 and a 1 year high of $1,560.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.03 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,483.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,444.73.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $23.58 by $32.90. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 12.63%. The company had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. As a group, analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $1,475.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,600.00 target price on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,450.00.

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.