Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 549 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 19.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,427 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 549 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $4,866,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MKL. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 150.0% during the third quarter. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC DE now owns 20 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 133.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 21 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 12 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Achmea Investment Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, RVW Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKL has been the subject of several recent research reports. Janney Montgomery Scott reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,600.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $1,475.00 price target on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the company from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a research note on Monday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,450.00.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In related news, Director A. Lynne Puckett purchased 72 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, for a total transaction of $101,468.16. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,352,908.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director A. Lynne Puckett purchased 72 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, for a total transaction of $101,468.16. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,352,908.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of MKL opened at $1,423.90 on Wednesday. Markel Group Inc. has a one year low of $1,272.43 and a one year high of $1,560.00. The company has a market cap of $18.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.69 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $1,482.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,444.99.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $23.58 by $32.90. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. The business had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. Research analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.