DnB Asset Management AS Has $4.50 Million Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

DnB Asset Management AS lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,609 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 121 shares during the quarter. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $4,504,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth $254,795,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $169,852,000. Davis Selected Advisers increased its holdings in Markel Group by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 370,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $639,606,000 after purchasing an additional 80,922 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $98,743,000. Finally, Boston Partners boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 281,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $486,580,000 after buying an additional 42,178 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Markel Group Trading Down 0.9 %

Markel Group stock opened at $1,853.88 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,865.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,730.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.31 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,417.65 and a 52 week high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. Analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total value of $163,682.64. Following the transaction, the director now owns 63,436 shares in the company, valued at $117,992,863.08. The trade was a 0.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 in the last three months. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. TD Cowen cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,702.20.

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.