Howland Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 189 Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Howland Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 189 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $288,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 318 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $452,000 after acquiring an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 151 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $214,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares during the period. Intellectus Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC now owns 429 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $609,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 434 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $616,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the period. Finally, Watchman Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Watchman Group Inc. now owns 2,355 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,344,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,638.39, for a total transaction of $4,915,170.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 66,668 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $109,228,184.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,638.39, for a total transaction of $4,915,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 66,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $109,228,184.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Greta J. Harris sold 122 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,620.83, for a total transaction of $197,741.26. Following the transaction, the director now owns 634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,027,606.22. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Markel Group Price Performance

Markel Group stock traded up $0.67 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $1,575.03. 1,454 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 44,952. The firm has a market cap of $20.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.50 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,594.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,509.32. Markel Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $1,295.65 and a 1-year high of $1,670.24.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The insurance provider reported $18.17 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $18.50 by ($0.33). The company had revenue of $3.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.62 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 15.23% and a return on equity of 11.18%. As a group, analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 82.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MKL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,400.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Markel Group in a report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,986.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,475.00 to $1,625.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,600.00 price objective on shares of Markel Group in a report on Friday, March 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,597.67.

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.