Giverny Capital Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Giverny Capital Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 0.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,696 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. Markel Group accounts for approximately 3.0% of Giverny Capital Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Giverny Capital Inc.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $87,277,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Markel Group by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,167,813 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,332,543,000 after purchasing an additional 9,303 shares in the last quarter. Davis Selected Advisers lifted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 0.3% during the first quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 371,469 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $694,502,000 after buying an additional 947 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 0.7% during the second quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 204,702 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $408,364,000 after buying an additional 1,383 shares during the period. Select Equity Group L.P. acquired a new stake in Markel Group during the first quarter worth approximately $357,512,000. Finally, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. grew its stake in Markel Group by 20.1% in the 1st quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 146,076 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $273,105,000 after acquiring an additional 24,487 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Simon Wilson sold 75 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,072.94, for a total value of $155,470.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,770 shares in the company, valued at $3,669,103.80. This trade represents a 4.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Markel Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MKL opened at $2,080.44 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $26.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.02 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $1,966.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,958.04. Markel Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,621.89 and a fifty-two week high of $2,109.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $30.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $22.77 by $8.13. The business had revenue of $3.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.77 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.91% and a net margin of 12.99%. Analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MKL. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Monday. Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,930.50.

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.