Markel Group Inc. Director Steven A. Markel Sells Shares

On Friday, February 21st, Steven A. Markel, a director at Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL), sold 800 shares of the company's stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,856.80, bringing the total transaction value to $1,485,440.00. After this transaction, Markel now directly owns 64,868 shares of Markel Group, which are valued at approximately $120,446,902.40. This sale represents a decrease of 1.22% in his ownership stake in the company. The details of this transaction have been disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of Markel Group saw an increase of $38.55 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching a price of $1,888.12. The trading volume for the day was 67,802 shares, compared to an average volume of 73,800 shares. The company's stock has a 50-day moving average of $1,795.94 and a 200-day moving average of $1,678.01. Markel Group Inc. has a market capitalization of approximately $24.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.49, and a beta of 0.78, indicating its lower volatility compared to the market. Additionally, the company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, alongside quick and current ratios of 0.60 each. Over the past year, the stock has reached a low of $1,417.65 and a high of $2,063.68.

Recent Earnings Report

Markel Group recently announced its earnings results on February 5th. The company reported earnings per share of $20.51 for the quarter, which is slightly below analysts' expectations of $20.66 by $0.15. It recorded a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. Analysts are forecasting that Markel Group Inc. will achieve an earnings per share of 96.25 for the current year.

Institutional Investors and Hedge Fund Activity

There has been considerable activity from hedge funds regarding Markel Group stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake during the fourth quarter valued at around $254,795,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought another new stake of about $169,852,000 during the same period. Davis Selected Advisers increased its holdings by 27.9% during the fourth quarter, owning a total of 370,522 shares valued at approximately $639,606,000 after acquiring an additional 80,922 shares. Raymond James Financial Inc. added a new position worth $98,743,000 as well. Boston Partners also raised their stake by 17.6%, now holding 281,820 shares worth roughly $486,580,000. Institutional investors currently own approximately 77.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts' Opinions and Price Targets

Markel Group has been the subject of various research reports recently. In a report dated February 7th, Royal Bank of Canada elevated their target price for Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00, assigning a "sector perform" rating. Conversely, TD Cowen downgraded the shares from "buy" to "hold" and reduced their price target from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a report from December 2nd. StockNews.com also changed their rating from "buy" to "hold". The current consensus rating for Markel Group is "Hold" with an average target price of $1,685.17, where one analyst has given a sell rating and six have rated it as hold.

Company Overview

Markel Group Inc. operates as a diverse holding company focused on marketing and underwriting specialty insurance products across the United States, Bermuda, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The company provides various insurance products, including general and professional liability, marine and energy insurance, personal lines, specialty programs, and workers' compensation coverage. Furthermore, it also covers property insurance, which includes fire and other types of specialized risks such as earthquake and wind.

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