Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Purchases 663 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. increased its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 12.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,868 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 663 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $10,130,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Markel Group by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 32 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 145 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $250,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. boosted its stake in Markel Group by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 428 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $739,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust boosted its stake in Markel Group by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 213 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 469 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $810,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,833.40 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.21 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,852.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,718.08. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,417.65 and a 52-week high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. Analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total value of $1,485,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $120,446,902.40. This trade represents a 1.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952. Insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MKL. StockNews.com lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, TD Cowen cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a report on Monday, December 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,702.20.

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.