National Bank of Canada FI Buys 278 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 11.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,707 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $4,673,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner bought 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total transaction of $1,485,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 64,868 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 in the last 90 days. 1.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Markel Group Price Performance

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,721.17 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.60. The company has a 50-day moving average of $1,868.94 and a 200-day moving average of $1,739.97. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,417.65 and a 52 week high of $2,063.68. The company has a market capitalization of $21.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.65 and a beta of 0.70.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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 note on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Markel Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,702.20.

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.