If You'd Invested $5,000 in Markel in 2009, This Is How Much You Would Have Today
Markel (NYSE: MKL) has been one of the better performing financial stocks in 2022, trading down only about 1.2% year-to-date. That represents a continuation of a long track record of success for this "baby Berkshire" -- so-called because its business model is similar to that of Berkshire Hathaway.
Markelʻs primary business is insurance, as it is a leading provider of specialty, or excess and surplus (E&S) insurance (which caters to smaller companies and high-risk businesses) as well as reinsurance for other insurers. And like Berkshire Hathaway, it invests in public companies, with a roughly $7 billion portfolio that includes some 132 stocks. Finally, it also has a private equity investment arm called Markel Ventures, where it invests in and owns private companies.
The company, based in Richmond, Virginia, has been around since 1930, and it has quietly churned out excellent returns for shareholders, as its roughly $1,218-per-share price shows. Its performance is a good illustration of the importance of investing in good companies in down markets.
Source Fool.com
