Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Reduces Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina decreased its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 32.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,571 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 2,641 shares during the quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina's holdings in Markel Group were worth $9,617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quilter Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 33,139 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $57,206,000 after buying an additional 2,234 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 25.2% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $3,247,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth about $252,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Markel Group by 10.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,571 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $8,736,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 3,339 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,764,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of MKL stock traded up $4.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1,767.46. The company had a trading volume of 223,077 shares, compared to its average volume of 48,824. The stock has a market cap of $22.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.88 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $1,839.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,749.97. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,420.04 and a 52-week high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. Research analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total value of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 63,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $117,992,863.08. This trade represents a 0.14 % decrease 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, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.66% of the company's stock.

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.