Markel Group Inc. $MKL Shares Bought by Madison Avenue Partners LP

Key Points

• Madison Avenue Partners LP increased its stake in Markel Group by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, adding 3,579 shares to bring its total to 87,889 shares. The position was valued at about $188.9 million and represented roughly 8.1% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with several other investors also making notable moves in MKL, including new positions and large increases. Overall, hedge funds and other institutions own about 77.12% of Markel Group shares.
• Markel Group has mixed analyst sentiment and recent earnings weakness: the company missed quarterly EPS and revenue estimates in its latest report, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Hold” with a target price of $2,025. The shares were down 0.6% and opened at $1,868.07.

Madison Avenue Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 4.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 87,889 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,579 shares during the period. Markel Group makes up approximately 8.1% of Madison Avenue Partners LP's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Madison Avenue Partners LP owned approximately 0.70% of Markel Group worth $188,931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Canerector Inc. increased its position in Markel Group by 191,036.0% during the 3rd quarter. Canerector Inc. now owns 10,703,616 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $20,458,463,000 after purchasing an additional 10,698,016 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $317,583,000. Select Equity Group L.P. grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 75.9% during the second quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 336,369 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $671,850,000 after buying an additional 145,146 shares in the last quarter. Davis Selected Advisers increased its stake in shares of Markel Group by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 415,160 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $892,496,000 after buying an additional 41,632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 3,235.4% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 25,316 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $54,421,000 after purchasing an additional 24,557 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In other news, Director Diane Leopold bought 50 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $1,789.19 per share, with a total value of $89,459.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $984,054.50. This trade represents a 10.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Greta J. Harris sold 76 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,847.31, for a total value of $140,395.56. Following the sale, the director directly owned 645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,191,514.95. The trade was a 10.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings lowered Markel Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Markel Group from $2,100.00 to $1,950.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Brean Capital started coverage on Markel Group in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $2,100.00 target price for the company. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Markel Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $2,025.00.

Markel Group Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,868.07 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $23.37 billion, a PE ratio of 13.46 and a beta of 0.67. The company's 50-day moving average price is $1,864.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,985.16. Markel Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,719.41 and a fifty-two week high of $2,207.59. 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 (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The insurance provider reported ($18.90) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $26.38 by ($45.28). The firm had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.66 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 10.85% and a return on equity of 7.90%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 113.55 earnings per share for the current 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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