Markel Group Inc. $MKL Shares Bought by Tran Capital Management L.P.

Tran Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 2,962.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,298 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,027 shares during the period. Markel Group accounts for about 1.9% of Tran Capital Management L.P.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Tran Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $15,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its position in shares of Markel Group by 180.0% in the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 14 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Markel Group in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, State of Wyoming increased its stake in shares of Markel Group by 35.0% in the second quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 27 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,330 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,119.12, for a total value of $2,818,429.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 60,368 shares in the company, valued at approximately $127,927,036.16. This trade represents a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Simon Wilson sold 75 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,072.94, for a total value of $155,470.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,669,103.80. The trade was a 4.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 1,575 shares of company stock valued at $3,330,900 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MKL. Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Zacks Research upgraded Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Markel Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Markel Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $2,025.00.

Markel Group Stock Up 0.6%

MKL stock opened at $2,146.00 on Thursday. Markel Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $1,621.89 and a fifty-two week high of $2,207.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $27.06 billion, a PE ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 0.80. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $2,091.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,999.79.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The insurance provider reported $30.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $22.77 by $8.13. The company had revenue of $3.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.77 billion. Markel Group had a net margin of 12.99% and a return on equity of 7.76%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 EPS for the current year.

Markel Group Company Profile

Markel Group (NYSE: MKL) is a diversified insurance holding company best known for underwriting specialty insurance products. Founded in 1930 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, the company provides a wide range of commercial property and casualty coverages tailored to niche and hard-to-place risks. Its underwriting operations focus on specialty lines across multiple industries, delivering customized policy structures, program administration, and claims management services for complex exposures.

In addition to primary specialty insurance, Markel operates reinsurance and alternative risk-transfer activities and manages invested assets derived from underwriting float.