Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC Sells 1,956 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 88,726 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 1,956 shares during the period. Markel Group makes up 3.0% of Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Douglass Winthrop Advisors LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $153,161,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quilter Plc boosted its stake in Markel Group by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Quilter Plc now owns 33,139 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $57,206,000 after buying an additional 2,234 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 25.2% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,881 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,247,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group in the 4th quarter worth about $252,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Markel Group by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,571 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $8,736,000 after buying an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Value Partners LLC boosted its stake in Markel Group by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Value Partners LLC now owns 3,339 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $5,764,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,846.79 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $23.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.28 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. Markel Group Inc. has a one year low of $1,417.65 and a one year high of $2,063.68. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,849.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,715.44.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total value of $1,485,440.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 64,868 shares in the company, valued at $120,446,902.40. This represents a 1.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MKL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Markel Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,702.20.

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.