Markel Group Inc. $MKL Shares Purchased by Wealthfront Advisers LLC

Key Points

• Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 87.9% in the first quarter, ending with 1,731 shares valued at about $3.31 million.
• Markel Group’s latest quarter showed a big earnings miss, posting EPS of -$18.90 versus the $26.38 estimate and revenue of $3.55 billion versus $3.66 billion expected.
• Wall Street sentiment is cautious: the stock has a consensus “Reduce” rating with an average target price of $2,025, while shares recently opened at $1,970.12.

Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 87.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,731 shares of the insurance provider's stock after buying an additional 810 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Markel Group were worth $3,313,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKL. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new position in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Reflection Asset Management acquired a new position in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the third quarter worth $29,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Diane Leopold acquired 100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $1,792.61 per share, for a total transaction of $179,261.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,925,815.90. The trade was a 4.78% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $140,395.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 645 shares in the company, valued at $1,191,514.95. This represents a 10.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 1.08% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MKL. Wolfe Research started coverage on Markel Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. They issued an "underperform" rating for the company. Truist Financial decreased 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 report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Markel Group from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Brean Capital began coverage on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $2,100.00 target price for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $2,025.00.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,970.12 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $24.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.20 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,878.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,955.23. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,719.41 and a 52 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 released its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.66 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.90% and a net margin of 10.85%. Equities research analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 114.11 EPS for the current year.

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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