BRK.B vs MKL Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
BRK.B (Berkshire Hathaway) and MKL (Markel Group) are both insurance-anchored holding companies using float to build investment portfolios and acquire businesses — Berkshire is the original and largest at $1T+ in market cap with Warren Buffett's 60-year track record, while Markel is the 'Baby Berkshire' at a fraction of the size, intentionally replicating the model in specialty insurance with a smaller, more nimble investment universe. Berkshire offers scale and Buffett's unparalleled record; Markel offers the same model with potential to compound at higher rates given smaller size.
BRK.B vs MKL is original float-driven conglomerate at massive scale with unmatched 60-year track record (Berkshire's $150B+ float, 80+ wholly-owned businesses, massive equity portfolio, and Warren Buffett's irreplaceable capital allocation legacy operating at a scale where only the largest opportunities move the needle) versus intentional Baby Berkshire replicating the model at smaller scale (Markel's specialty insurance float, equity portfolio investing, and Ventures operating businesses with more accessible investment universe and nimble capital deployment) — proven giant versus ambitious replicator.
BRK.B and MKL are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly.
Human Wall Street analysts' price targets, typically implying a ~12-month view — a separate signal from this site's own AI Prediction Signal further down the page, which is a 5-/30-day machine-learning forecast based on price history alone.
- Want Warren Buffett's diversified capital allocation in a single stock — Berkshire is the definitive long-term value investing holding company with a 60-year track record of superior returns
- Value Berkshire's extraordinary resilience — the combination of $150B+ insurance float, 80+ business diversification, and massive equity portfolio creates one of the most durable large-cap companies ever built
- Prefer Berkshire's larger scale and lower volatility versus Markel, with indirect exposure to the same float-driven conglomerate model that has proven itself over six decades
- Believe Markel's smaller scale allows it to compound book value faster than Berkshire — the smaller investment universe available to Markel (mid-market acquisitions, smaller equity positions) may offer better returns per dollar than Berkshire's scale-constrained capital deployment
- Want exposure to the Berkshire-style float conglomerate model with specialty insurance at a more nimble scale — Markel can acquire $100-500M businesses that Berkshire simply cannot make meaningful at $1T+ market cap
- Value Markel's specialty and E&S insurance focus as providing better underwriting margins than standard lines insurance through specialized risk expertise
| Metric | BRK.B | MKL |
|---|---|---|
| AI scorei | N/A | 41.6 |
| AI ranki | N/A | #923 |
| Latest closei | N/A | $1,727.73 |
| 1M returni | N/A | -4.84% |
| 6M returni | N/A | -7.47% |
| 1Y returni | N/A | -10.42% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | BRK.B | MKL |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | N/A | $9.07K (-9.3%) started 2025-09-25 |
| 5Y ago | N/A | $14.16K (+41.6%) started 2021-09-27 |
| 10Y ago | N/A | $18.96K (+89.6%) started 2016-09-26 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | BRK.B | MKL |
|---|---|---|
| Market capi | N/A | $22.5B |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | 10.02 |
| Forward P/Ei | N/A | 16.08 |
| Price/Salesi | 2.62 | N/A |
| EV/Revenuei | N/A | 1.29 |
| Analyst targeti | N/A | $1,956.33 |
| Target upsidei | N/A | +7.72% |
| Metric | BRK.B | MKL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growthi | N/A | 12.70% |
| Earnings growthi | N/A | 86.80% |
| EPS growthi | N/A | +86.80% |
| FCF margini | N/A | -10.33% |
| Operating margini | N/A | 30.09% |
| Profit margini | N/A | 13.77% |
| ROIC proxyi | N/A | 12.46% |
| Return on equityi | N/A | 12.46% |
| Dividend yieldi | N/A | N/A |
| Payout ratioi | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Dividend growth streaki | N/A | N/A |
| Betai | 0.17 | 0.66 |
| Debt/equityi | N/A | 22.43 |
| Current ratioi | N/A | 3.15 |
| Quick ratioi | N/A | 1.03 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | BRK.B | MKL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | N/A | -9.27% |
| CAGRi | N/A | -9.29% | |
| Volatilityi | N/A | 19.47% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | N/A | -0.63 | |
| Sortino ratioi | N/A | -0.83 | |
| Max drawdowni | N/A | 21.18% | |
| Current drawdowni | N/A | 21.18% | |
| Avg drawdowni | N/A | 9.42% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | N/A | 11.45% | |
| Max daily dropi | N/A | 7.85% | |
| Max wkly dropi | N/A | 9.51% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | N/A | +41.62% |
| CAGRi | N/A | +7.22% | |
| Volatilityi | N/A | 22.44% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | N/A | 0.22 | |
| Sortino ratioi | N/A | 0.31 | |
| Max drawdowni | N/A | 28.87% | |
| Current drawdowni | N/A | 21.18% | |
| Avg drawdowni | N/A | 8.31% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | N/A | 10.17% | |
| Max daily dropi | N/A | 12.82% | |
| Max wkly dropi | N/A | 10.94% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | N/A | +89.64% |
| CAGRi | N/A | +6.61% | |
| Volatilityi | N/A | 25.36% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | N/A | 0.20 | |
| Sortino ratioi | N/A | 0.28 | |
| Max drawdowni | N/A | 44.66% | |
| Current drawdowni | N/A | 21.18% | |
| Avg drawdowni | N/A | 9.36% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | N/A | 12.36% | |
| Max daily dropi | N/A | 19.83% | |
| Max wkly dropi | N/A | 27.11% |
| Category | BRK.B | MKL |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Class B) | Markel Group Inc. |
| Sector | Financials - Diversified Conglomerate | Financial Services |
| Industry | N/A | Insurance - Property & Casualty |
| Core business | Berkshire Hathaway is Warren Buffett's conglomerate holding company owning 80+ wholly-owned businesses and a massive equity portfolio. Insurance float from GEICO, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance, and General Re provides investable capital at near-zero cost. Wholly-owned businesses span BNSF Railway, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, manufacturing companies, retail, and consumer brands. The equity portfolio holds large positions in Apple, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Chevron, and others. | Markel Group is a holding company anchored by Markel Insurance (specialty and excess & surplus lines insurance) that uses insurance float and retained earnings to invest in publicly traded equities (Markel Ventures portfolio) and acquire wholly-owned operating businesses (Markel Ventures — Altus Power, VSC Fire & Security, Buckner HeavyLift Cranes, and others). Markel deliberately follows a Berkshire-like model: underwrite insurance profitably, invest float in equities, acquire businesses with durable competitive advantages. |
| Investor focus | Investors track Berkshire's book value growth, operating earnings, insurance underwriting performance, equity portfolio concentration (Apple represents 40%+ of equity portfolio), Greg Abel succession dynamics, and Buffett's capital allocation decisions. | Investors track Markel's insurance combined ratio (measure of underwriting profitability), equity portfolio performance (Markel invests float in stocks similar to Berkshire's approach), Markel Ventures operating businesses growth and acquisition pace, and Markel's book value per share compounding over time. |
- Insurance float at enormous scale — $150B+ of insurance float invested at near-zero cost provides structural competitive advantage in earning investment returns that private investors cannot access
- Track record of exceptional capital allocation — Berkshire's 60-year compound annual growth in book value (~19-20%) stands as the most successful public company capital allocation record in history
- Wholly-owned business diversity — 80+ companies spanning railroads, utilities, insurance, manufacturing, and consumer provide earnings across economic cycles with minimal correlation between subsidiaries
- Intentional Berkshire model at smaller scale — Markel's management has explicitly adopted Berkshire's float-driven investment philosophy; smaller scale means Markel can acquire mid-market businesses and invest in smaller equities where Berkshire cannot deploy meaningful capital, potentially accessing better returns per dollar
- Specialty and E&S insurance focus provides underwriting differentiation — Markel focuses on excess and surplus lines (hard-to-place, non-standard risks) where pricing is less regulated and specialist underwriting commands better margins than standard lines
- Markel Ventures operating business portfolio generating growing earnings — Markel's wholly-owned businesses contribute recurring operating earnings that reduce dependence on investment income and insurance underwriting variability
- Scale is now Berkshire's primary constraint — Berkshire's $1T+ market cap means only the largest acquisitions move the needle; Buffett's comment that Berkshire will 'never have zero' in attractive options is increasingly tested by lack of elephant-sized opportunities
- Succession and cultural continuity — Warren Buffett's unique capital allocation philosophy is hard to institutionalize; whether Greg Abel (designated CEO successor) and the Combs/Weschler investment team can maintain Berkshire's investment edge is the central long-term question
- Apple concentration risk — a single tech company representing 40%+ of the equity portfolio is significant concentration for what is ostensibly a diversified conglomerate; Apple underperformance would materially impact Berkshire returns
- Scale limitations affect acquisition quality at higher valuations — as Markel grows, the target size for meaningful acquisitions increases, limiting the available universe of attractively priced opportunities
- Insurance underwriting performance in catastrophe years — Markel's specialty insurance exposure includes property catastrophe risk; a severe hurricane season or series of large losses can produce underwriting losses that reduce float
- Replication of Berkshire model is difficult — the Berkshire model sounds simple (profitable insurance + smart investing + business acquisition) but is extraordinarily difficult to execute consistently; Markel must continuously demonstrate superior underwriting discipline and investment judgment to justify the Berkshire comparison premium
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