Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Stock Holdings Lessened by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. reduced its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 232 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 13 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MKL. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Markel Group in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total transaction of $1,485,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $120,446,902.40. The trade was a 1.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MKL. StockNews.com lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Markel Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Markel Group stock opened at $1,870.93 on Friday. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,417.65 and a 1 year high of $2,063.68. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,864.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,725.69. The company has a market cap of $23.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.40 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.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (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%. As a group, sell-side 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.