Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) Rating Increased to Buy at StockNews.com

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,626.83.

Markel Group Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of MKL traded down $15.14 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $1,725.21. 26,370 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 43,968. 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 $22.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.96 and a beta of 0.77. Markel Group has a 52-week low of $1,342.66 and a 52-week high of $1,809.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,688.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,609.85.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.97 by ($4.63). The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 10.86%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Markel Group will post 86.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Markel Group

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Markel Group by 29.0% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 24,906 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $39,067,000 after acquiring an additional 5,595 shares in the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the third quarter worth approximately $3,125,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Markel Group by 10.4% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,571 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $8,736,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp increased its stake in Markel Group by 20.7% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 432 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blankinship & Foster LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group during the third quarter worth approximately $643,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

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.