Markel Group Inc. $MKL Shares Acquired by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its stake in Markel Group by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, ending with 12,484 shares valued at about $26.6 million.
• Insider activity was mixed: Director Diane Leopold bought 50 shares, while CEO Simon Wilson sold 100 shares earlier this year.
• Analyst sentiment has turned cautious, with multiple downgrades leaving Markel Group at an overall Hold rating and a consensus price target of $2,025, after the company also reported weaker-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 6.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,484 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 732 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.10% of Markel Group worth $26,595,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its stake in Markel Group by 183.3% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 17 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In related news, Director Diane Leopold acquired 50 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $1,789.19 per share, for a total transaction of $89,459.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 550 shares of the company's stock, valued at $984,054.50. The trade was a 10.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Simon Wilson sold 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,397 shares in the company, valued at $4,984,513.56. This represents a 4.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Zacks Research downgraded Markel Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 19th. Truist Financial decreased their price target on Markel Group from $2,100.00 to $1,950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Brean Capital assumed coverage on Markel Group in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued 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 report on Wednesday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Markel Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $2,025.00.

Markel Group Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,810.91 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $1,719.41 and a 52-week high of $2,207.59. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $1,931.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $2,017.25. The company has a market capitalization of $22.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.05 and a beta of 0.67.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.66 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 113.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Markel Group Company 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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