Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Invests $333,000 in Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Markel Group Inc. (NYSE:MKL) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 212 shares of the insurance provider’s stock, valued at approximately $333,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MKL. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Markel Group by 41.7% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 4,308 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $6,554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Markel Group by 4.7% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 758 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its holdings in Markel Group by 176.6% in the first quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 1,333 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $2,028,000 after purchasing an additional 851 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Markel Group by 3.7% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $3,052,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Markel Group by 90.0% in the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 190 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. 77.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Markel Group Price Performance

MKL opened at $1,707.64 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Markel Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $1,342.66 and a 52-week high of $1,733.58. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,581.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,581.49. The company has a market cap of $21.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88 and a beta of 0.73.

Markel Group (NYSE:MKL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The insurance provider reported $17.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.97 by ($4.63). Markel Group had a return on equity of 10.86% and a net margin of 17.03%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.74 billion. On average, analysts expect that Markel Group Inc. will post 89.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MKL. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Markel Group from $1,435.00 to $1,450.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Markel Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada lowered 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 report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective 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. One equities 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $1,651.83.

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.