Merit Financial Group LLC Makes New Investment in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 127 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Markel Group in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Toth Financial Advisory Corp increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 1,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 22 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Markel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Markel Group by 833.3% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 28 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen cut Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $1,986.00 to $1,836.00 in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Markel Group from $1,590.00 to $1,600.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,626.83.

Markel Group Stock Performance

NYSE:MKL opened at $1,810.98 on Monday. 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 moving average is $1,740.16 and its 200-day moving average is $1,633.36. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,342.66 and a 52-week high of $1,817.81. The company has a market cap of $23.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.35 and a beta of 0.78.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.97 by ($4.63). The business had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 10.86%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Markel Group Inc. will post 86.92 earnings per share for the current year.

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.