Markel Group Inc. $MKL is Lafayette Investments Inc.’s 2nd Largest Position

Lafayette Investments Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,901 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 492 shares during the period. Markel Group accounts for approximately 7.7% of Lafayette Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Lafayette Investments Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of Markel Group worth $38,092,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MKL. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $236,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 9.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 34,704 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $64,883,000 after acquiring an additional 3,083 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Markel Group by 49.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 416 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the second quarter worth approximately $463,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Diane Leopold acquired 50 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $1,789.19 per share, for a total transaction of $89,459.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $984,054.50. The trade was a 10.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Greta J. Harris sold 76 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,847.31, for a total value of $140,395.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 645 shares in the company, valued at $1,191,514.95. This represents a 10.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MKL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research started coverage on Markel Group in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “underperform” rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Brean Capital started coverage on shares of Markel Group in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $2,100.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Markel Group from $2,100.00 to $1,950.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $2,025.00.

Markel Group Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of MKL stock opened at $1,978.80 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $1,853.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,971.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $24.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.26 and a beta of 0.66. Markel Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $1,719.41 and a twelve month high of $2,207.59.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The insurance provider reported ($18.90) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $26.38 by ($45.28). Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.90% and a net margin of 10.85%.The firm had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.66 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 113.55 earnings per share for the current year.

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.