Teacher Retirement System of Texas Has $28.59 Million Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 967.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,563 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,011 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas’ holdings in Markel Group were worth $28,592,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total value of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 63,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $117,992,863.08. This trade represents a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, with a total value of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 over the last ninety days. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of MKL opened at $1,846.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1,849.38 and a 200 day moving average of $1,715.44. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,417.65 and a 12 month high of $2,063.68. The company has a market capitalization of $23.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.28 and a beta of 0.82.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on MKL. TD Cowen downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.