Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 151 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 69.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 367 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Markel Group were worth $634,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $254,795,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $169,852,000. Davis Selected Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 80,922 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $98,743,000. Finally, Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 42,178 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company's stock.

Markel Group Stock Up 1.2 %

MKL stock traded up $22.79 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,903.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 51,436 shares, compared to its average volume of 49,230. The company's fifty day moving average price is $1,821.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,778.22. Markel Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $1,491.03 and a twelve month high of $2,063.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.56 and a beta of 0.84.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total transaction of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 63,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $117,992,863.08. The trade was a 0.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. Company insiders own 1.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MKL. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,727.75.

Markel Group 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.