Buttonwood Financial Advisors Inc. Acquires 435 Shares of Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Buttonwood Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,540 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. Markel Group accounts for approximately 2.3% of Buttonwood Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Buttonwood Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Markel Group were worth $6,767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its position in shares of Markel Group by 180.0% during the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 14 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Markel Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Markel Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in Markel Group by 35.0% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 27 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 7 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in Markel Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $59,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Simon Wilson sold 75 shares of Markel Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,072.94, for a total transaction of $155,470.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,770 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,669,103.80. This trade represents a 4.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,330 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,119.12, for a total transaction of $2,818,429.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 60,368 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $127,927,036.16. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 1,575 shares of company stock worth $3,330,900 over the last quarter. 1.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Markel Group Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE:MKL opened at $2,130.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Markel Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $1,621.89 and a 12-month high of $2,207.59. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $2,073.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1,995.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 0.80.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last released its earnings results 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. Markel Group had a return on equity of 7.76% and a net margin of 12.99%.The firm had revenue of $3.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.77 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 96.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MKL. Zacks Research upgraded Markel Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Markel Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $2,025.00.

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.