Marathon Asset Management Ltd Sells 7,760 Shares of Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Marathon Asset Management Ltd trimmed its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 23.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,871 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 7,760 shares during the quarter. Markel Group makes up 1.7% of Marathon Asset Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Marathon Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $47,539,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 180.0% in the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 14 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Markel Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Markel Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. State of Wyoming boosted its stake in Markel Group by 35.0% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 27 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barrett & Company Inc. grew its holdings in Markel Group by 166.7% during the 2nd quarter. Barrett & Company Inc. now owns 32 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Markel Group Stock Performance

MKL stock opened at $2,181.66 on Monday. Markel Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $1,621.89 and a 1-year high of $2,207.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market cap of $27.51 billion, a PE ratio of 13.66 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $2,046.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,988.59.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MKL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Zacks Research raised Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Markel Group in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $2,025.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,770 shares in the company, valued at $3,669,103.80. This represents a 4.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director owned 60,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $127,927,036.16. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,575 shares of company stock worth $3,330,900. 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.