Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Raises Stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,110 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,321 shares during the quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned about 0.09% of Markel Group worth $19,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quilter Plc increased its holdings in Markel Group by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 33,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $57,206,000 after acquiring an additional 2,234 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 25.2% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,247,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth $252,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Markel Group by 10.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,571 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,736,000 after buying an additional 527 shares during the period. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC grew its position in Markel Group by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 3,339 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,764,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total value of $2,129,829.54. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952. 1.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MKL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE MKL opened at $1,767.46 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.88 and a beta of 0.70. Markel Group Inc. has a one year low of $1,433.06 and a one year high of $2,063.68. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,835.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,753.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. As a group, analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Markel Group 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.