Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Acquires 11,439 Shares of Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its Markel Group stake by 13.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 11,439 additional shares and bringing its total to 97,923 shares valued at about $211.2 million.
• Insider activity was mixed: Director Diane Leopold bought 100 shares, while CEO Simon Wilson sold 100 shares earlier this year. Corporate insiders now own 1.08% of the company.
• Markel Group’s latest results disappointed, as quarterly EPS of -$18.90 missed expectations and revenue came in below estimates. Shares were down about 0.6%, and analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with a $2,025 price target.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 13.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 97,923 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,439 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned 0.78% of Markel Group worth $211,172,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 172.8% during the third quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 1,683 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $3,217,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 1.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 547,188 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,045,947,000 after purchasing an additional 9,496 shares during the last quarter. Ervin Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 259.2% during the fourth quarter. Ervin Investment Management LLC now owns 9,110 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $19,583,000 after purchasing an additional 6,574 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the third quarter worth $2,104,000. Finally, Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the third quarter worth $46,738,000. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In related news, Director Diane Leopold bought 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $1,792.61 per share, with a total value of $179,261.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 2,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,925,815.90. This represents a 4.78% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Simon Wilson sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,079.48, for a total value of $207,948.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,397 shares in the company, valued at $4,984,513.56. The trade was a 4.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Markel Group Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of MKL opened at $1,822.25 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,719.41 and a 12-month high of $2,207.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.80 billion, a PE ratio of 13.13 and a beta of 0.67. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $1,911.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2,015.26.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The insurance provider reported ($18.90) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $26.38 by ($45.28). Markel Group had a net margin of 10.85% and a return on equity of 7.90%. The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.66 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 113.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on MKL shares. Wall Street Zen cut Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Markel Group from $2,100.00 to $1,950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Zacks Research lowered Markel Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Brean Capital assumed coverage on Markel Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $2,100.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Markel Group from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $2,025.00.

Markel Group Profile

Markel Group NYSE: MKL is a diversified insurance holding company best known for underwriting specialty insurance products. Founded in 1930 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company provides a wide range of commercial property and casualty coverages tailored to niche and hard-to-place risks. Its underwriting operations focus on specialty lines across multiple industries, delivering customized policy structures, program administration, and claims management services for complex exposures.

In addition to primary specialty insurance, Markel operates reinsurance and alternative risk-transfer activities and manages invested assets derived from underwriting float.

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