Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 9.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,498 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $8,597,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in Markel Group in the second quarter worth approximately $793,000. OLD National Bancorp IN bought a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $310,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 121.2% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,853 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $5,705,000 after buying an additional 1,563 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,017 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,023,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 10.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 26,527 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $52,984,000 after acquiring an additional 2,575 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Simon Wilson sold 75 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,072.94, for a total value of $155,470.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,669,103.80. This represents a 4.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,330 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,119.12, for a total value of $2,818,429.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 60,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $127,927,036.16. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,575 shares of company stock worth $3,330,900. 1.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Markel Group Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $2,118.36 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $2,101.49 and a 200 day moving average of $2,003.01. The company has a market cap of $26.71 billion, a PE ratio of 13.26 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,621.89 and a 12-month high of $2,207.59.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $30.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $22.77 by $8.13. The company had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.77 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 7.76%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on MKL. Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Markel Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $2,025.00.

Markel Group Company Profile

Markel Group (NYSE: MKL) is a diversified insurance holding company best known for underwriting specialty insurance products. Founded in 1930 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company provides a wide range of commercial property and casualty coverages tailored to niche and hard-to-place risks. Its underwriting operations focus on specialty lines across multiple industries, delivering customized policy structures, program administration, and claims management services for complex exposures.

In addition to primary specialty insurance, Markel operates reinsurance and alternative risk-transfer activities and manages invested assets derived from underwriting float.