Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Grows Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL - Free Report) by 46.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,540 shares of the insurance provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,040 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.07% of Markel Group worth $13,546,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth $18,145,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its position in Markel Group by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 17,656 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $25,070,000 after acquiring an additional 1,167 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Capital LLC bought a new position in Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at $3,313,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in Markel Group by 616.3% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 4,219 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $5,991,000 after acquiring an additional 3,630 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carmel Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Markel Group by 11.9% during the fourth quarter. Carmel Capital Partners LLC now owns 582 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $826,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 owns 45,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director A. Lynne Puckett acquired 72 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 960 shares in the company, 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 Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE:MKL traded up $8.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $1,479.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 36,619 shares, compared to its average volume of 48,836. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,272.43 and a 1 year high of $1,560.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $1,483.96 and a 200-day moving average of $1,444.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.29 billion, a PE ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. The company had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MKL shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $1,475.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Janney Montgomery Scott restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $1,600.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Markel Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a report on Monday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $1,450.00.

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.