Check Capital Management Inc. CA Has $108 Million Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Check Capital Management Inc. CA boosted its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 76,064 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,683 shares during the quarter. Markel Group accounts for about 4.0% of Check Capital Management Inc. CA’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Check Capital Management Inc. CA’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $108,003,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MKL. BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in Markel Group by 0.8% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 662,183 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $845,879,000 after acquiring an additional 5,003 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Markel Group by 3.2% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 539,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $793,979,000 after acquiring an additional 16,597 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Markel Group by 1.7% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 303,717 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $329,296,000 after acquiring an additional 5,183 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 2.8% in the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 178,792 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $228,046,000 after acquiring an additional 4,871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $182,438,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $1,475.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Janney Montgomery Scott restated a “neutral” rating and set a $1,600.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a research note on Monday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,450.00.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MKL traded up $19.12 during trading on Friday, reaching $1,455.25. The company had a trading volume of 42,653 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,148. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1,482.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,444.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.87 and a beta of 0.70. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,272.43 and a 12 month high of $1,560.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $23.58 by $32.90. The firm had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. Equities research analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director A. Lynne Puckett bought 72 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,352,908.80. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 45,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Markel Group 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.