Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Has $43.92 Million Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,931 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 682 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned about 0.23% of Markel Group worth $43,919,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. lifted 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 lifted 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 lifted 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 lifted 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 acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth $182,438,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Markel Group Price Performance

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,455.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $18.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.90 and a beta of 0.70. Markel Group Inc. has a one year low of $1,272.43 and a one year high of $1,560.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,483.41 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,444.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.75 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. Analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.