Lathrop Investment Management Corp Has $11.04 Million Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Lathrop Investment Management Corp grew its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 11.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,776 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 815 shares during the period. Markel Group makes up 2.3% of Lathrop Investment Management Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Lathrop Investment Management Corp owned approximately 0.06% of Markel Group worth $11,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Markel Group by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 539,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $793,979,000 after purchasing an additional 16,597 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 129,541 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $183,935,000 after purchasing an additional 3,476 shares during the period. Scharf Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Scharf Investments LLC now owns 126,920 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $180,214,000 after purchasing an additional 4,933 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 94,781 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $139,564,000 after purchasing an additional 2,736 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 88,501 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $130,317,000 after purchasing an additional 1,929 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on MKL shares. Janney Montgomery Scott reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,600.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a report on Friday, March 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $1,475.00 target price on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Markel Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,450.00.

Markel Group Price Performance

NYSE:MKL traded down $14.43 on Friday, hitting $1,436.52. The company had a trading volume of 33,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 37,614. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.77 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $1,483.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,444.82. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,272.43 and a 52 week high of $1,560.00.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $23.58 by $32.90. The business had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current year.

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.