Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Increases Stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 11,110 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,321 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $19,178,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $254,795,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Markel Group in the fourth quarter worth $169,852,000. Davis Selected Advisers lifted its position in Markel Group by 27.9% during the fourth quarter. Davis Selected Advisers now owns 370,522 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $639,606,000 after buying an additional 80,922 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the 4th quarter valued at $98,743,000. Finally, Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 281,820 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $486,580,000 after buying an additional 42,178 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MKL shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Markel Group from $1,750.00 to $2,025.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of 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 issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $1,702.20.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Shares of Markel Group stock opened at $1,767.46 on Monday. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,433.06 and a 1 year high of $2,063.68. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1,835.67 and its 200 day moving average is $1,753.94. The stock has a market cap of $22.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.88 and a beta of 0.70. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The insurance provider reported $20.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $20.66 by ($0.15). Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.55% and a net margin of 16.34%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In related news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner purchased 100 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $2,008.01 per share, for a total transaction of $200,801.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 48,945 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,282,049.45. The trade was a 0.20 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,856.80, for a total transaction of $1,485,440.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 64,868 shares in the company, valued at approximately $120,446,902.40. This trade represents a 1.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 2,034 shares of company stock valued at $3,778,952. 1.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.