Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) Shares Acquired by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 167.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 22,411 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,022 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.17% of Markel Group worth $38,687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Markel Group by 4.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 329,209 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $516,391,000 after buying an additional 13,372 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Markel Group by 5.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 209,054 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $327,131,000 after buying an additional 10,254 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Markel Group by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 113,556 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $178,931,000 after acquiring an additional 5,310 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC grew its stake in Markel Group by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 71,633 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $112,362,000 after acquiring an additional 1,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Markel Group by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 55,718 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $87,398,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Markel Group Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of MKL stock opened at $1,769.16 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.16 and a beta of 0.78. Markel Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $1,342.66 and a 1 year high of $1,809.11. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,725.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1,622.33. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 10.86%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Markel Group Inc. will post 86.92 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,700.00 to $1,675.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group increased 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. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 30th. Finally, TD Cowen downgraded 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $1,626.83.

Markel Group 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.