Based on the aggregated intelligence of 145,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, specialty insurer Markel (NYSE:MKL) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.

With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Markel's business, and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.

Markel facts

Headquarters (Founded)

Glen Allen, Va. (1930)

Market Cap

$3.2 billion

Industry

Insurance

Trailing-12-Month Revenue

$1.82 billion

Management

Chairman/CEO Alan Kirshner (since 1986)
CIO Thomas Gayner (since 2001)

Compound Annual Tangible Book Value Growth (Over Past 5 Years)

15.1%

Cash/Debt

$1.7 billion / $951 million

Other Highly Rated Insurance Stocks

Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A) (NYSE:BRK-B)
Chubb (NYSE:CB)

CAPS Members Bullish on MKL Also Bullish on

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

CAPS Members Bearish on MKL Also Bearish on

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX)

Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS.

On CAPS, 97.8% of the 2,717 members who have rated Markel believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include symie5 and athenamike.

Just three weeks ago, symie5 summed up Markel with an oft-used comparison: "Fantastic management, pay structure, and proven (mini-Berkshire) business strategy. Love this as a long term play."

In an earlier pitch, athenamike expands on the stock as a wealth-building machine worth watching:

Excellent insurance underwriting and excellent investing make Markel a great long term growth company. The insurance market is hardening and future investment returns, although bumpy in the short term, should look much better. I expect book value growth of around 10-15% per share and a future price to book of 1.5x to 2x versus current 1.2x.

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