Trust Co. of Vermont Sells 15 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Trust Co. of Vermont reduced its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 630 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 15 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $1,088,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 115.7% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 8,895 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $14,015,000 after purchasing an additional 4,771 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 106.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 1,527 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,406,000 after acquiring an additional 787 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Markel Group by 23.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 648 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,019,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in Markel Group by 65.9% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 229 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 20.5% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 194 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MKL. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. StockNews.com raised Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 30th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, TD Cowen cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Markel Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,626.83.

Markel Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,776.14 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,727.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,624.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,342.66 and a 52-week high of $1,809.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.19 and a beta of 0.78.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 17.03%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. Analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 86.92 EPS for the current year.

About Markel Group

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.