Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, specialty insurer Markel (MKL 0.82%) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Markel and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Markel facts
|
Headquarters (founded) |
Glen Allen, Va. (1930) |
|
Market Cap |
$7.2 billion |
|
Industry |
Property and casualty insurance |
|
Trailing-12-Month Revenue |
$3.4 billion |
|
Management |
Chairman/CEO Alan Kirshner |
|
Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) |
6.5% |
|
Cash / Debt |
$2.7 billion / $2.3 billion |
|
Competitors |
CNA Financial |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 98% of the 2,935 members who have rated Markel believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Just last week, one of those Fools, All-Star Manlobbi, succinctly summed up the Markel bull case for our community:
Rather correlated to the S&P500 from one year to the next however (1) low cost leverage from float, (2) marginal equity outperformance, (3) leverage from invested unrealized capital gains and (4) initial price/book multiple of 1.15 versus historical average substantially higher-together will lead almost certainly to outperformance of the S&P500 over say 5 years.
If you want market-thumping returns, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Of course, despite a strong five-star rating, Markel may not be your top choice.
