Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 17.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,372 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the quarter. Virginia Wealth Management Group Inc.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $2,152,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MKL. Beacon Financial Group purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the 4th quarter worth about $200,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Markel Group by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 2,359 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $3,349,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont grew its holdings in Markel Group by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 617 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $876,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Markel Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,191,714 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,692,115,000 after acquiring an additional 9,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ables Iannone Moore & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Markel Group news, Director Lawrence A. Cunningham acquired 20 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $1,512.50 per share, with a total value of $30,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,123,787.50. This trade represents a 0.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on MKL. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Citigroup increased their price objective on Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $1,986.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Markel Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,643.50.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of Markel Group stock traded up $15.73 on Friday, hitting $1,563.35. The stock had a trading volume of 3,537 shares, compared to its average volume of 42,019. The stock has a market cap of $20.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.08 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,295.65 and a 52-week high of $1,670.24. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1,557.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $1,558.70.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The insurance provider reported $25.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $20.76 by $5.19. The company had revenue of $3.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.86 billion. Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.12% and a net margin of 13.00%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 89.94 EPS for the current year.

Markel Group Company 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.