Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 131,259 Shares of Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group cut its Markel Group stake by 24.6% in Q1, selling 131,259 shares and leaving it with 401,876 shares valued at about $769.3 million.
• Markel Group’s latest earnings disappointed: it reported EPS of -$18.90 versus expectations for $26.38, while revenue of $3.55 billion also missed estimates.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with multiple firms maintaining or lowering ratings; the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $2,025.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 24.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 401,876 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 131,259 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 3.21% of Markel Group worth $769,297,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MKL. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 116 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $239,000 after buying an additional 5 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH increased its stake in Markel Group by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 765 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $1,644,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 160 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $344,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 41 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $88,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 118 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 5 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In other news, Director Diane Leopold bought 50 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $1,789.19 per share, with a total value of $89,459.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 550 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $984,054.50. This represents a 10.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Greta J. Harris sold 76 shares of the company'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 transaction, the director owned 645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,191,514.95. This represents a 10.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.08% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on MKL shares. 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. Brean Capital assumed coverage on Markel Group in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $2,100.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on 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. Wall Street Zen cut Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Markel Group in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. They issued an "underperform" rating for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $2,025.00.

Markel Group Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of MKL opened at $1,964.23 on Tuesday. Markel Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $1,719.41 and a 1-year high of $2,207.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $1,865.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $1,961.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.15 and a beta of 0.66.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The insurance provider reported ($18.90) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $26.38 by ($45.28). The company had revenue of $3.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.66 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.90% and a net margin of 10.85%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 114.11 EPS 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MKL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.