Virtu Financial LLC Acquires Shares of 404 Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 404 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $697,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Markel Group in the third quarter worth $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Markel Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Markel Group during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Global Trust Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MKL opened at $1,870.21 on Tuesday. 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’s 50 day simple moving average is $1,856.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,721.35. The firm has a market cap of $23.88 billion, a PE ratio of 9.40 and a beta of 0.82. Markel Group Inc. has a one year low of $1,417.65 and a one year high of $2,063.68.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In other Markel Group news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,146 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,858.49, for a total value of $2,129,829.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 63,722 shares in the company, valued at $118,426,699.78. The trade was a 1.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,282,049.45. This represents a 0.20 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 2,034 shares of company stock worth $3,778,952. 1.71% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented 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 downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,702.20.

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.