Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 47,104 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 2,806 shares during the quarter. Markel Group accounts for approximately 1.8% of Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $66,883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 2,234 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,290,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 10,100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 102 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $150,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Lodestone Wealth Management LLC now owns 282 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $416,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 45.5% during the 3rd quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. now owns 1,470 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $2,165,000 after acquiring an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its stake in shares of Markel Group by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 8,346 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $12,289,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Markel Group Price Performance

Markel Group stock traded up $12.82 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $1,449.34. The company had a trading volume of 36,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 48,141. The company has a market capitalization of $18.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.77 and a beta of 0.70. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,295.65 and a 12-month high of $1,560.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,483.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,444.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $23.58 by $32.90. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.22% and a net margin of 12.63%. The firm had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.75 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 EPS for the current year.

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.