Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Shares Sold by Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 8.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,653 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 756 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $14,937,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Markel Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in Markel Group by 3,000.0% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 31 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on MKL. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Stock Down 5.8 %

Shares of NYSE MKL opened at $1,721.17 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $1,868.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,739.97. 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 firm has a market cap of $21.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.65 and a beta of 0.70. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,417.65 and a 1 year high of $2,063.68.

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

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total transaction of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 63,436 shares in the company, valued at $117,992,863.08. This represents a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952 in the last three months. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Company 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.