RIA Advisory Group LLC Purchases Shares of 1,841 Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

RIA Advisory Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,841 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,614,000. Markel Group comprises about 0.8% of RIA Advisory Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lafayette Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Lafayette Investments Inc. now owns 20,391 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,953,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Markel Group by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 178 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Court Place Advisors LLC raised its position in Markel Group by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Court Place Advisors LLC now owns 3,072 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $4,362,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. raised its position in Markel Group by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Mraz Amerine & Associates Inc. now owns 18,057 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $25,639,000 after purchasing an additional 584 shares during the period. Finally, Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Markel Group by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 777 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MKL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $1,680.00 to $1,500.00 in a research report on Monday, February 5th. Janney Montgomery Scott restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $1,600.00 price objective on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $1,475.00 price objective on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and five have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Markel Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,450.00.

Insider Activity

In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Markel Group news, CEO Thomas Sinnickson Gayner acquired 100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $1,414.74 per share, with a total value of $141,474.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 45,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,718,474.86. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director A. Lynne Puckett acquired 72 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $1,409.28 per share, for a total transaction of $101,468.16. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 960 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,352,908.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.71% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of MKL traded up $20.56 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $1,456.69. 41,779 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 49,137. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $1,482.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $1,444.82. The company has a market capitalization of $18.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.87 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,272.43 and a 12 month high of $1,560.00.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The insurance provider reported $56.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $23.58 by $32.90. The firm had revenue of $3.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.75 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 11.22%. Equities research analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 80.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.