Royal Bank of Canada Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Stock Price

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) had its target price lowered by equities researchers at Royal Bank of Canada from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “sector perform” rating on the insurance provider’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target indicates a potential upside of 8.10% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,986.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,651.83.

Markel Group Stock Up 0.5 %

Markel Group stock traded up $7.48 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $1,549.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 26,366 shares, compared to its average volume of 42,452. The company has a market capitalization of $20.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.15 and a beta of 0.73. Markel Group has a 12 month low of $1,295.65 and a 12 month high of $1,670.24. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,568.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,566.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $21.97 by ($4.63). The business had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.14% and a net margin of 17.03%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Markel Group will post 91.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Lawrence A. Cunningham bought 20 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,512.50 per share, for a total transaction of $30,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,123,787.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Markel Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its stake in Markel Group by 1,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 22 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 833.3% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 28 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Markel Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new position in Markel Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Markel Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $65,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

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.