Capstone Investment Advisors LLC Invests $4.65 Million in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,693 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,649,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth about $637,000. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its stake in Markel Group by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 7,722 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $13,330,000 after purchasing an additional 398 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 140,997 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $243,393,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Markel Group by 78.6% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 868 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $1,498,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,589 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $11,374,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on MKL. StockNews.com downgraded Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada increased 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 report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,727.75.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In related news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total value of $2,129,829.54. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 63,722 shares of the company's stock, valued at $118,426,699.78. This represents a 1.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952. Corporate insiders own 1.66% of the company's stock.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MKL opened at $1,877.25 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Markel Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $1,491.03 and a 1-year high of $2,063.68. The company has a market capitalization of $23.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.43 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1,823.35 and a 200-day moving average of $1,770.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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