Timon Schneider | SOPA Images | AP
Company: Markel Group (MKL)
Business: Markel Group is a holding company comprised of different businesses and investments. Its segments include Specialty Insurance, Investing and Markel Ventures. The Specialty Insurance segment includes the company’s insurance and reinsurance capacities within its underwriting operations, as well as insurance-linked securities and all treaty reinsurance written on a risk-bearing basis. The Investing segment includes all investing activities related to Markel’s insurance operations and asset portfolio of fixed maturities, equities, short-term assets and cash equivalents. The Markel Ventures segment consists of controlling interests in a diverse portfolio of businesses that operate in various industries.
Stock Market Value: $22.33B ($1,735.79 per share)
Markel Group in 2024
Activist: Jana Partners
Ownership: n/a
Average Cost: n/a
Activist Commentary: Jana is a very experienced activist investor founded in 2001 by Barry Rosenstein. The firm made its name by taking deeply researched activist positions with well-conceived plans for long term value. Rosenstein called his activist strategy “V cubed.” The three “Vs” were” (i) Value: buying at the right price; (ii) Votes: knowing whether you have the votes before commencing a proxy fight; and (iii) Variety of ways to win: having more than one strategy to enhance value and exit an investment. Since 2008, the firm has gradually shifted that strategy to one which we characterize as the three “Ss” (i) Stock price – buying at the right price; (ii) Strategic activism – sale of company or spinoff of a business; and (iii) Star advisors/nominees – aligning with top industry executives to advise them and take board seats if necessary.
What’s happening
Jana called on Markel to improve its insurance operations and explore a separation or sale of its private investments business. The firm also noted that the entire company presents an attractive acquisition target for larger insurers.
Behind the scenes
Markel Group is a financial holding company with a core business of specialty insurance. The capital base provided by the premiums from its underwriting business has enabled the company to fund its other two business segments: Investments and Markel Ventures. Its investing segment encompasses a $30 billion portfolio of fixed maturity securities, equity securities and short-term investments. Markel Ventures, a private equity-like business, owns controlling stakes in a diverse portfolio of businesses ranging from building supplies to bakery equipment and luxury handbags. Given its business model of reinvesting premiums to fund investment activities, Markel has been likened to Berkshire Hathaway.
Specialty insurers have enjoyed a very robust and hard market (i.e., rising premiums and reduced capacity) for several years. However, Markel has experienced a protracted period of underperformance relative to its peers. On a one-, three- and five-year basis, Markel has returned 25.6%, 41.5% and 56.2%, which stands in stark contrast to its peers which have returned an average of 28.0%, 85.4% and 162.3%. It has also underperformed the Dow Jones U.S. Property and Casualty Insurance Index over each of these periods.
When looking for the source of its underperformance, the first place to always look is the core business, which has experienced capital allocation and operational issues. On capital allocation, Markel Group has engaged in some value-destructive M&A. In 2018, Markel Corp purchased Nephila, an investment manager specializing in reinsurance risk for $975 million. In December 2018, Nephila had $11.6 billion in net assets under management. Today, it stands at $7 billion. Operationally, management has had some underwriting challenges that have led to under-reserving in recent years after many years of over-reserving. This not only causes management to have to increase the reserve as opposed to releasing surplus reserve, but it also spooks the market a little as insurance company investors may fear future liabilities not presently accounted for. As a result, the company’s combined ratio (a measure of profitability for insurance companies) has been higher than peers for several years. The combined ratio is calculated by dividing the sum of the company’s underwriting expenses and incurred losses by its earned premium. The higher the ratio, the lower the profitability. Markel’s combined ratio was 96.4% in its most recent quarter, 98.4% last year and in the nineties for several years. This compares to peers’ average in the mid-eighties, with some even in the high seventies.
While fixing the core business is always the first step, even with an improved and efficient insurance business, Markel would still have a valuation overhang in the form of its Ventures business. Of the company’s three engines (Insurance, Investments and Ventures) this is the one that makes the least sense. It is also unique to Markel among its peers and is the hardest for the market and investors to value. Monetizing this business could be the best opportunity to create value.
Jana is urging the board and management to improve the core insurance business and reduce its combined ratio through better underwriting rigor, more disciplined expense management and a more opportunistically targeted selection and focus on insurance lines and markets. If management can improve performance in its core business, it should result in a re-rating of the business. Second, Jana is recommending that management explore a divestiture of the Ventures business, which has been deflating Markel’s valuation. The company trades at 1.3 times book value versus peers that trade at an average of 2.5 times. Moreover, the last time Markel traded at 2.5 times book value was before it launched its Ventures business. Through its Ventures arm, Markel owns controlling interests in a Boston-based luxury handbag company, a boutique house plant operation, a bakery equipment manufacturer, a homebuilder and 16 other businesses that a specialty insurance company has no real expertise in. It would be great for the company to sell this business either in whole or by selling individual businesses at the 8 times EBITDA multiple it bought them for. This would not only give Markel cash to use in its business or return to shareholders, but it would also give investors more confidence and certainty in the company’s business lines.
Finally, while not outright calling for a sale of the company, Jana acknowledges that the company could be a strategic asset for other larger specialty insurers, such as Tokio Marine, Zurich Insurance Group and Arch Capital. If this opportunity arises, as fiduciaries and economic animals, Jana will ensure that the board weighs this opportunity versus the risk-adjusted return of a standalone plan to maximize long-term value for shareholders.
There is no reason to believe that Jana and management are not on the same page here. Certainly, the parties agree that the company is undervalued and are incentivized to increase the stock price. Not only has Jana been a buyer of the stock, but the board recently authorized a $2 billion share buyback, and the CEO has personally been buying shares. Jana has some time to figure out its next move: The director nomination window does not open until Jan. 22, 2025, and closes on Feb. 21, 2025. However, we do not expect this engagement will lead to a nomination of directors by Jana.
This is the first new activist campaign since we launched the 13D Monitor Company Vulnerability Ratings (“13DM CVR”). Of the more than 2,500 companies we rated, Markel fell in the sixth percentile of companies most likely to be engaged by an activist.
Ken Squire is the founder and president of 13D Monitor, an institutional research service on shareholder activism, and the founder and portfolio manager of the 13D Activist Fund, a mutual fund that invests in a portfolio of activist 13D investments.
ADVERTISEMENT:
Halo, para pencinta slot! pernahkah denger istilah “slot gaco”? jika tidak, siap-siap jatuh cinta dengan konsep ini. slot gacor adalah mesin slot yang sering memberi win. Yup, slot-slot ini bisa dikatakan adalah jagoannya tuk membawa pulang cuan. any way, cemana sih caranya nemuin raja lot yang benar? Santuy Bro, kita bahas santai aja di tempat ini
Gaming tergacor saat sekarang satu-satunya berada Indonesia yaitu akan memberikan ROI tertinggi
Daftarkanlah dengan di :
Informasi mengenai KING SLOT, Segera Daftar Bersama king selot terbaik dan terpercaya no satu di Indonesia. Boleh mendaftar melalui sini king slot serta memberikan hasil kembali yang paling tinggi saat sekarang ini hanyalah KING SLOT atau Raja slot paling gacor, gilak dan gaco saat sekarang di Indonesia melalui program return tinggi di kingselot serta pg king slot
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kdwapp.com
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jebswagstore.com
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama demoslotgacor.pro
slot demo gacor
slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot gacor
akun demo slot gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo gacor
akun slot demo gacor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot pragmatic
akun demo slot pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo pragmatic
akun slot demo pragmatic permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun slot demo
akun slot demo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
akun demo slot
akun demo slot permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
situs slot terbaru
situs slot terbaru permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
slot terbaru
slot terbaru permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama situsslotterbaru.net
adipatislot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama adipatislot88.org
akartoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama akartoto88.biz
allototo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama allototo88.com
alototo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama alototo88.com
an77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama an77.biz
an88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama an88.net
grandhyatt88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama grandhyatt88.com
awan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama awan88.org
banteng88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama banteng88.biz
banteng96 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama banteng96.com
bibir66 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bibir66.com
bibir88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bibir88.biz
bocor888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama bocor888.biz
boswin888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama boswin888.asia
canda88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama canda88.org
candatoto permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama candatoto.net
cinta888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama cinta888.biz
dalang88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dalang88.info
dalang96 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dalang96.org
dinojp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dinojp88.com
dragon22 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama dragon22.asia
eyangslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama eyangslot88.biz
f77bet permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama f77bet.net
f88bet permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama f88bet.asia
haha88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama haha88.asia
heroslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama heroslot888.info
hiwin88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hiwin88.org
hoki222 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hoki222.biz
hot99 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hot99.info
hotliga88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hotliga88.com
hut88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama hut88.info
inajp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama inajp88.net
istanaslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama istanaslot88.biz
jawatogel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jawatogel88.com
jayatogel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jayatogel88.info
jengkol88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jengkol88.info
jeniustoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama jeniustoto88.org
kakakslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kakakslot888.net
kakaslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kakaslot88.biz
keltoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama keltoto88.com
kera33 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kera33.com
kera88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kera88.biz
keraktelor permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama keraktelor.org
kuliner88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama kuliner88.org
lengkatoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama lengkatoto88.com
lexitoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama lexitoto88.net
mahkotajitu88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama mahkotajitu88.com
maincuan88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama maincuan88.com
menangbet88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama menangbet88.asia
menutogel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama menutogel88.com
merdeka88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama merdeka88.biz
merdekatoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama merdekatoto88.info
metrototo permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama metrototo.biz
miegacoan permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama miegacoan.biz
ml88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ml88.net
monas777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama monas777.info
monas88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama monas88.biz
moris88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama moris88.org
nastartoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama nastartoto88.com
newslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama newslot888.biz
ngopibet88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ngopibet88.org
omset88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama omset88.com
pajaktoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pajaktoto88.biz
pc77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pc77.net
pc88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pc88.biz
pin88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pin88.asia
pintoto permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pintoto.info
pmg888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pmg888.biz
pohon88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pohon88.biz
pulsa77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pulsa77.biz
pulsa88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pulsa88.biz
puma888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama puma888.info
pusakajitu88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama pusakajitu88.com
qqhok88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama qqhok88.org
rapi88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama rapi88.info
rt88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama rt88.info
rupiahtoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama rupiahtoto88.asia
s88bet permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama s88bet.org
serba88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama serba88.biz
sibukslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sibukslot88.com
sinardunia888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sinardunia888.com
sinartogel88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sinartogel88.biz
sloki888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sloki888.info
slotplay88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama slotplay88.biz
sp77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sp77.biz
sp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sp88.org
sparta888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sparta888.co
sukaslot888 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sukaslot888.info
sule999 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sule999.net
sultanjp88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama sultanjp88.com
teluk88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama teluk88.biz
teluk88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama teluk88.info
tikitoto88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama tikitoto88.org
togelsumo88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama togelsumo88.com
ultra77 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama ultra77.biz
userslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama userslot88.biz
uya88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama uya88.biz
uyatoto permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama uyatoto.com
vegasslot777 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama vegasslot777.asia
vegasslot88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama vegasslot88.asia
wajik88 permainan paling top dan garansi imbal balik hasil besar bersama wajik88.asia
