Markel Group Inc. $MKL is JANA Partners Management LP's 6th Largest Position

Key Points

• JANA Partners reduced its Markel stake by 7.3% in the first quarter, selling 5,912 shares but retaining 75,307 shares worth about $144.1 million. Markel remains JANA’s sixth-largest holding, representing approximately 8.6% of its portfolio.
• Other institutional investors—including Norges Bank, Select Equity Group and Davis Selected Advisers—recently increased their Markel positions, while institutional ownership reached 77.12% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: five analysts rate Markel “Hold” and one rates it “Sell,” resulting in a consensus “Reduce” rating and an average price target of $2,025.

JANA Partners Management LP reduced its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 7.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,307 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 5,912 shares during the quarter. Markel Group comprises approximately 8.6% of JANA Partners Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. JANA Partners Management LP owned 0.60% of Markel Group worth $144,143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $317,583,000. Select Equity Group L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 75.9% in the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 336,369 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $671,850,000 after acquiring an additional 145,146 shares during the period. Davis Selected Advisers increased its position in Markel Group by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 415,160 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $892,496,000 after acquiring an additional 41,632 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Markel Group by 3,235.4% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 25,316 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $54,421,000 after acquiring an additional 24,557 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lifted its holdings in Markel Group by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 204,861 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $440,379,000 after acquiring an additional 23,631 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MKL. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Markel Group from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. Wolfe Research began coverage on Markel Group in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. They issued an "underperform" rating on the stock. Truist Financial decreased their price target on shares of Markel Group from $2,100.00 to $1,950.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Markel Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Markel Group currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $2,025.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Diane Leopold acquired 50 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $1,789.19 per share, for a total transaction of $89,459.50. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 550 shares in the company, valued at $984,054.50. The trade was a 10.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Greta J. Harris sold 76 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,847.31, for a total transaction of $140,395.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,191,514.95. The trade was a 10.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Markel Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,882.00 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $23.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $1,902.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,942.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.63. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,719.41 and a 1 year high of $2,207.59.

About Markel Group

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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