Baxter Bros Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Baxter Bros Inc. increased its position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 76.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 611 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Baxter Bros Inc.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $1,055,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of Markel Group by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 32 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC grew its holdings in Markel Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 145 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $250,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares during the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. raised its position in Markel Group by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 428 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $739,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 213 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the period. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Markel Group by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 469 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $810,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of the company’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 transaction, the director now directly owns 63,436 shares in the company, valued at approximately $117,992,863.08. The trade was a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 over the last quarter. 1.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MKL. StockNews.com lowered Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of Markel Group stock opened at $1,870.21 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $23.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.40 and a beta of 0.82. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1,856.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1,721.35. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,417.65 and a 1 year high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 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, research analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 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.