Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Shares Purchased by Synovus Financial Corp

Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 115.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 932 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Synovus Financial Corp’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $1,609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Markel Group during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in Markel Group by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 32 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on MKL. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Markel Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,782.56 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $22.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.96 and a beta of 0.70. Markel Group Inc. has a one year low of $1,417.65 and a one year high of $2,063.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,848.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,748.49.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. Sell-side analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total transaction of $2,129,829.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 63,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $118,426,699.78. The trade was a 1.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Company 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.