Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp Makes New Investment in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 131 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MKL. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Markel Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the third quarter worth about $36,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. acquired a new position in Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 88 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,860.03, for a total transaction of $163,682.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 63,436 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $117,992,863.08. This represents a 0.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of MKL stock opened at $1,863.65 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $23.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.36 and a beta of 0.82. Markel Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,417.65 and a 52 week high of $2,063.68. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $1,859.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $1,723.67.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted 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 analysts forecast that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current 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.