Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Stock Holdings Raised by Harbour Investments Inc.

Key Points

• Harbour Investments Inc. significantly increased its holdings in Markel Group by acquiring 272 shares, bringing their total to 278 shares valued at approximately $520,000.
• Analysts have upgraded Markel Group's rating from "hold" to "buy", with a consensus price target of $1,820.33.
• Markel Group's stock has seen a 0.4% decline recently, trading at $1,938.29, and the company reported strong earnings, topping analysts' estimates with $25.46 earnings per share.

Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 4,533.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 278 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 272 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc.'s holdings in Markel Group were worth $520,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC bought a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $236,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in Markel Group by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 10,599 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $18,296,000 after purchasing an additional 1,295 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in Markel Group by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 2,707 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $4,673,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $8,009,000. Finally, Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 1,501.8% during the 4th quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 7,801 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $13,466,000 after purchasing an additional 7,314 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

Separately, Argus upgraded Markel Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,820.33.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In related news, Director Greta J. Harris sold 90 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,861.44, for a total transaction of $167,529.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,176,430.08. This represents a 12.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 1.66% of the company's stock.

Markel Group Price Performance

MKL traded up $20.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $1,918.51. The company's stock had a trading volume of 25,729 shares, compared to its average volume of 58,003. The company has a market cap of $24.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.51 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,975.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,892.51. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,494.00 and a 1 year high of $2,075.92.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $25.46 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $24.74 by $0.72. Markel Group had a net margin of 13.39% and a return on equity of 7.18%. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $18.62 earnings per share. Markel Group's quarterly revenue was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 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.