Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Buys 49 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,040 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 49 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $1,477,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MKL. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 109.6% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 69,272 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $102,002,000 after buying an additional 36,215 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 104.6% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 51,669 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $76,082,000 after buying an additional 26,418 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 2,272.6% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 26,336 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $38,779,000 after buying an additional 25,226 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 539,207 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $793,979,000 after buying an additional 16,597 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 26.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 63,040 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $92,826,000 after buying an additional 13,000 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director A. Lynne Puckett purchased 72 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,352,908.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 45,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director A. Lynne Puckett bought 72 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, with a total value of $101,468.16. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,352,908.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $1,475.00 price objective on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a report on Monday, February 5th. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,600.00 target price on shares of Markel Group in a report on Friday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have issued a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,450.00.

Markel Group Price Performance

Shares of MKL opened at $1,463.11 on Thursday. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,272.43 and a 12-month high of $1,560.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,484.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $1,444.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a market cap of $19.08 billion, a PE ratio of 9.96 and a beta of 0.70.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $23.58 by $32.90. The company had revenue of $3.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.75 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 12.63%. Analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.