Based in Glen Allen, Virginia, and established in 1930, Markel Group Inc. is a specialty insurance company. Through Markel Ventures, the company invests in various industrial and service businesses that operate separately from its insurance business. Markel has 18,900 employees.

With all things viewed in context, insider-sentiment data from Vickers Stock Research is 'better' this week than in other recent weeks. The sell/buy ratios from Vickers this week are indeed vastly improved over the last few weeks. The NYSE One-Week Sell/Buy Ratio is now 4.04, a big improvement from 11.00 last week and 11.87 the week before that. On the Nasdaq, the one-week reading is now 3.39 and compares very favorably with a 10.53 result recorded three weeks ago, as the Nasdaq had soured a week before the NYSE. So the trend is good, but, contextually, the ratios are still not clearly bullish - just a lot less bearish. Drilling down, the number of insider sell transactions grew higher still this week, with a 20% increase in sales compared to last week. But, in a positive offset, the number of purchase transactions also popped -- and by 161%. End of day, insiders seem less panicky than they did a few weeks ago - and that that seems to align with the mood of investors in general. But let's not forget that, in context, the S&P 500 closed last week at a level that is still 323 points below where it was in mid-July. On a sector basis, selling by insiders last week was greatest in Healthcare, with shares valued at $127 million sold versus roughly $4 million bought, followed by Information Technology, which saw nearly $90 million of shares sold. Buying outpaced selling in the Energy sector. This week, analysts at Vickers highlighted insider transactions of interest at Stryker Corp. (NYSE: SYK) and Block Inc. (NYSE: SQ).

Markel's primary business is property and casualty insurance, and the company focuses primarily on specialty lines, ranging from areas such as executive liability to commercial equine insurance. The acquisition of Alterra in 2013 added substantial reinsurance operations, which now account for a little less than 15% of premiums. The company uses capital generated by its insurance operations to buy noninsurance operations in diverse areas, such as bakery equipment manufacturing and residential homebuilding.

Markel's primary business is property and casualty insurance, and the company focuses primarily on specialty lines, ranging from areas such as executive liability to commercial equine insurance. The acquisition of Alterra in 2013 added substantial reinsurance operations, which now account for a little less than 15% of premiums. The company uses capital generated by its insurance operations to buy noninsurance operations in diverse areas, such as bakery equipment manufacturing and residential homebuilding.