DnB Asset Management AS Buys 121 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

DnB Asset Management AS increased its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,609 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. DnB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $4,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MKL. Davis Selected Advisers increased its holdings in Markel Group by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 370,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $639,606,000 after buying an additional 80,922 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Markel Group by 4.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 329,209 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $516,391,000 after acquiring an additional 13,372 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in Markel Group by 17.6% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 281,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $486,580,000 after purchasing an additional 42,178 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Markel Group by 5.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 209,054 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $327,131,000 after purchasing an additional 10,254 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at $254,795,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Markel Group

In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total value of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 63,436 shares in the company, valued at $117,992,863.08. The trade was a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Markel Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Price Performance

Markel Group stock opened at $1,853.88 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.67 billion, a PE ratio of 9.31 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $1,865.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1,730.56. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,417.65 and a 12 month high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted 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 return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. Analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 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.