First National Advisers LLC Sells 416 Shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

First National Advisers LLC cut its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 24.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,258 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 416 shares during the quarter. First National Advisers LLC’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $2,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total value of $2,129,829.54. Following the transaction, the director now owns 63,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $118,426,699.78. This represents a 1.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at $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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. Company insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of MKL opened at $1,850.33 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.30 and a beta of 0.81. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,417.65 and a 1 year high of $2,063.68. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,837.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,708.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 7.55%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on MKL. TD Cowen cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average 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.