KBC Group NV Trims Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

KBC Group NV lessened its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,797 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 169 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $3,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MKL. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its holdings in Markel Group by 1,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 22 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Markel Group in the third quarter valued at $42,000. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Markel Group Price Performance

MKL opened at $1,829.52 on Friday. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,342.66 and a 52-week high of $1,842.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,751.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,640.90. The company has a market cap of $23.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.44 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MKL. TD Cowen lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,626.83.

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.