Davis Selected Advisers Has $694.50 Million Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Key Points

• Davis Selected Advisers increased its stake in Markel Group by 0.3%, owning 371,469 shares, which represents 4.0% of its investment portfolio.
• Markel Group's financial performance showed positive growth, reporting $25.46 earnings per share and $4.82 billion in revenue during the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations.
• Analyst ratings for Markel Group have shifted, with Argus upgrading the stock from "hold" to "buy", while the consensus rating remains a "hold" with a price target of $1,820.33.

Davis Selected Advisers boosted its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 0.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 371,469 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 947 shares during the period. Markel Group makes up about 4.0% of Davis Selected Advisers' portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Davis Selected Advisers owned 2.93% of Markel Group worth $694,502,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 183.3% in the first quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 17 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 300.0% in the first quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 20 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 866.7% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 29 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the first quarter valued at $54,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Markel Group Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of Markel Group stock traded up $13.53 on Friday, hitting $1,911.87. 45,818 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 45,023. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,494.00 and a 12-month high of $2,075.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The company has a market cap of $24.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.47 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1,974.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $1,894.54.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 30th. The insurance provider reported $25.46 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $24.74 by $0.72. Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.18% and a net margin of 13.39%. The firm had revenue of $4.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $18.62 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 24.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Argus raised shares of Markel Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,820.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Markel Group news, Director Greta J. Harris sold 90 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,861.44, for a total value of $167,529.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 632 shares in the company, valued at $1,176,430.08. The trade was a 12.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Markel Group

Markel Group Inc, a diverse holding company, engages in marketing and underwriting specialty insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The company offers general and professional liability, personal lines, marine and energy, specialty programs, and workers' compensation insurance products; and property coverages that include fire, allied lines, and other specialized property coverages, including catastrophe-exposed property risks, such as earthquake and wind.