Strs Ohio Lowers Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Strs Ohio cut its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 93.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,822 shares of the insurance provider's stock after selling 24,962 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio's holdings in Markel Group were worth $2,587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MKL. Fairfield Bush & CO. acquired a new position in Markel Group in the first quarter valued at $148,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Markel Group by 11.9% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 628 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $926,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group during the first quarter worth about $549,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in Markel Group by 2.7% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 11,913 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $17,575,000 after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Markel Group by 4.7% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $490,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Janney Montgomery Scott restated a "neutral" rating and set a $1,600.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $1,475.00 target price on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $1,450.00.

Markel Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MKL traded up $20.56 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,456.69. 42,653 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 37,571. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,483.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,444.77. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,272.43 and a 52 week high of $1,560.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.91 and a beta of 0.70.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $23.58 by $32.90. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 12.63%. The business had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.75 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other news, Director A. Lynne Puckett purchased 72 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, for a total transaction of $101,468.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 960 shares in the company, valued at $1,352,908.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director A. Lynne Puckett bought 72 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the transaction, the director now owns 960 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,352,908.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.71% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.