Cross Staff Investments Inc Acquires 10 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Cross Staff Investments Inc boosted its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 370 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Cross Staff Investments Inc’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $525,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp acquired a new position in Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $741,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc increased its stake in shares of Markel Group by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 358 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $508,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Markel Group by 46.8% in the 4th quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 9,540 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $13,546,000 after purchasing an additional 3,040 shares during the period. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its holdings in Markel Group by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 14,486 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $20,569,000 after buying an additional 1,594 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

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

Markel Group Price Performance

NYSE MKL traded down $10.15 during trading on Friday, hitting $1,440.80. 17,940 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 48,060. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $1,484.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,444.99. Markel Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,272.43 and a fifty-two week high of $1,560.00. 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 company has a market cap of $18.79 billion, a PE ratio of 9.83 and a beta of 0.70.

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%. Research analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 EPS 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.