Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Downgraded to “Hold” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

MKL has been the subject of several other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,651.83.

Markel Group Price Performance

NYSE MKL opened at $1,782.92 on Wednesday. Markel Group has a fifty-two week low of $1,342.66 and a fifty-two week high of $1,809.11. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $1,617.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,591.69. The firm has a market cap of $22.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.22 and a beta of 0.73. 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 10.86%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. On average, analysts anticipate that Markel Group will post 88.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Markel Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Markel Group by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,571 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,736,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares during the period. Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in Markel Group by 20.7% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 432 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Blankinship & Foster LLC bought a new position in shares of Markel Group during the third quarter worth $643,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Markel Group by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 2,143 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,361,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.