Hills Bank & Trust Co Reduces Holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Hills Bank & Trust Co trimmed its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 734 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after selling 38 shares during the period. Hills Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $1,151,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Davis Selected Advisers lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 287,061 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $452,311,000 after purchasing an additional 970 shares during the period. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 36.7% in the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 214,400 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $326,124,000 after purchasing an additional 57,528 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 113,556 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $178,931,000 after purchasing an additional 5,310 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 85,464 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $129,441,000 after purchasing an additional 3,560 shares during the period. Finally, Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 15.4% in the 2nd quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. now owns 85,247 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $134,320,000 after purchasing an additional 11,357 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Markel Group Stock Performance

MKL opened at $1,542.01 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $19.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.11 and a beta of 0.73. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,295.65 and a 12-month high of $1,670.24. The company’s 50 day moving average is $1,568.21 and its 200 day moving average is $1,566.46. 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 (NYSE:MKL) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a return on equity of 11.14% and a net margin of 17.03%. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. On average, equities research analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 91.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Markel Group

In other news, Director Lawrence A. Cunningham bought 20 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $1,512.50 per share, with a total value of $30,250.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 743 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,787.50. The trade was a 0.00 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.71% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MKL. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $1,986.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $1,643.50.

About Markel Group

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.