Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Cut to Hold at Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Markel Group in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $2,025.00.

Markel Group Price Performance

Markel Group stock opened at $2,058.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. Markel Group has a 52 week low of $1,621.89 and a 52 week high of $2,207.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.88 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $2,106.91 and a 200-day moving average of $2,007.03.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $30.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $22.77 by $8.13. The business had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.77 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.76% and a net margin of 12.99%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Markel Group will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, CEO Simon Wilson sold 75 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,669,103.80. The trade was a 4.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 completion of the sale, the director owned 60,368 shares in the company, valued at $127,927,036.16. This trade represents a 2.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,575 shares of company stock valued at $3,330,900. 1.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Markel Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Clearstead Trust LLC raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 180.0% in the 2nd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 14 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in Markel Group by 183.3% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 17 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Markel Group during the second quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

About Markel Group

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.