Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) has received an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the six brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,626.83.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MKL shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, TD Cowen cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a report on Monday, December 2nd.

Markel Group Stock Performance

MKL stock opened at $1,709.40 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.99 billion, a PE ratio of 7.89 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,709.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,617.06. Markel Group has a 12-month low of $1,342.66 and a 12-month high of $1,809.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 10.86%. The business had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Markel Group will post 86.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKL. Gold Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Gold Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,219 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,912,000 after buying an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Freedom Day Solutions LLC increased its stake in Markel Group by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Freedom Day Solutions LLC now owns 1,483 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,326,000 after buying an additional 8 shares in the last quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Markel Group by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 745 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,170,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management raised its position in shares of Markel Group by 3.2% during the third quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 259 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $406,000 after buying an additional 8 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in Markel Group by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 880 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,387,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.