Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Sells 377 Shares of Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC decreased its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 17.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,726 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 377 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $3,299,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Markel Group by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 597 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,141,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 3.5% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 477 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $911,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Markel Group in the third quarter worth $101,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Markel Group by 9.1% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,132 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,150,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

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

Markel Group Trading Down 1.2%

MKL opened at $2,093.97 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $2,103.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $2,003.78. The company has a market capitalization of $26.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.11 and a beta of 0.80. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,621.89 and a 52 week high of $2,207.59.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $30.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $22.77 by $8.13. The business had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.77 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.76% and a net margin of 12.99%. Analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Markel Group 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.