Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in Markel Group Inc. $MKL

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 547,188 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,496 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 4.34% of Markel Group worth $1,045,947,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 9 shares in the last quarter. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Markel Group in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Markel Group during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Markel Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Hemington Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Markel Group by 35.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 23 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.12% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group Stock Performance

Markel Group stock opened at $2,041.15 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $25.74 billion, a PE ratio of 12.78 and a beta of 0.80. Markel Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $1,621.89 and a 12 month high of $2,207.59. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $2,103.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2,008.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Markel Group in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of Markel Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Markel Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $2,025.00.

Insider Activity at Markel Group

In related news, CEO Simon Wilson sold 75 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,072.94, for a total transaction of $155,470.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,770 shares in the company, valued at $3,669,103.80. This represents a 4.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven A. Markel sold 1,330 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 $127,927,036.16. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 1,575 shares of company stock valued at $3,330,900 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Markel Group 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.