Country Trust Bank Sells 2,586 Shares of Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Country Trust Bank decreased its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 17,914 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,586 shares during the period. Country Trust Bank’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $34,240,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MKL. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter worth $236,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Markel Group by 13.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 109 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $204,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Markel Group by 9.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 34,704 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $64,883,000 after acquiring an additional 3,083 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Markel Group by 49.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 416 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $778,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC raised its position in Markel Group by 0.5% during the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 2,732 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,108,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MKL. Zacks Research upgraded Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $2,025.00.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of Markel Group stock opened at $2,082.53 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $2,107.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $2,004.96. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,621.89 and a 12-month high of $2,207.59. The firm has a market cap of $26.26 billion, a PE ratio of 13.04 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $30.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $22.77 by $8.13. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 7.76%. The company had revenue of $3.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.77 billion. As a group, equities analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,330 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,119.12, for a total transaction of $2,818,429.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 60,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $127,927,036.16. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Simon Wilson sold 75 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,072.94, for a total value of $155,470.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,669,103.80. This represents a 4.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,575 shares of company stock worth $3,330,900. Corporate insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group 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.