Wills Financial Group LLC Acquires Shares of 142 Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Key Points

• Wills Financial Group LLC has acquired 142 shares of Markel Group Inc. valued at approximately $265,000 during the first quarter, according to their recent SEC filing.
• Analysts at Argus have upgraded Markel Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating, with a consensus price target of $1,820.33.
• Markel Group reported quarterly earnings of $25.46 EPS, exceeding estimates, with revenue of $4.82 billion, up 24.3% from the previous year.

Wills Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 142 shares of the insurance provider's stock, valued at approximately $265,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 300.0% during 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 during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 866.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 178.6% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 39 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $73,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of Markel Group stock opened at $1,926.23 on Monday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $1,971.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,889.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.55 and a beta of 0.82. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,491.03 and a 12 month high of $2,075.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Greta J. Harris sold 90 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction on Friday, May 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,861.44, for a total transaction of $167,529.60. Following the sale, the director directly owned 632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,176,430.08. This trade represents a 12.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.66% of the company's stock.

Markel Group Profile

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.

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