Markel Group Inc. $MKL Shares Purchased by Fifth Third Bancorp

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in Markel Group by 690.8% in the first quarter, ending with 1,542 shares valued at about $2.95 million.
• Markel Group reported a sharp earnings miss for Q1, posting $(18.90) EPS versus the expected $26.38, while revenue also came in below estimates at $3.55 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with several firms cutting ratings or price targets; the stock currently carries a consensus “Reduce” rating and an average target price of $2,025.

Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 690.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,542 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,347 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Markel Group were worth $2,950,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in Markel Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Greta J. Harris sold 76 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,191,514.95. This trade represents a 10.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Diane Leopold bought 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1,792.61 per share, with a total value of $179,261.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,190 shares in the company, valued at $3,925,815.90. This trade represents a 4.78% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Markel Group Stock Performance

MKL stock opened at $1,980.87 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1,881.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,953.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.78 billion, a PE ratio of 14.27 and a beta of 0.66. 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last announced 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). Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.90% and a net margin of 10.85%.The firm had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.66 billion. Analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 114.11 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on MKL. Truist Financial lowered their price objective 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. Brean Capital assumed coverage on shares of Markel Group in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $2,100.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Markel Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. They set an "underperform" rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Markel Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price 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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