Motley Fool and "The ONE Remarkable Stock"

[Elliott]

Today I was drawn into the link to a "report" on "The ONE Remarkable Stock." I should have guessed that they'd have you jump through a million hoops to get it, but in the end, they named (NYSE: MKL) What does everyone think?

Here's a summary of what they said:

[FONT=&quot]The ONE Remarkable Stock --
Markel (NYSE: MKL)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Surprised? Don't be. Historically, many of the market's best-performers have been obscure companies with names you've never heard. Even $212 billion Berkshire Hathaway is hardly a household name.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]So what exactly makes Markel stand out? [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Markel differentiates itself from larger property and casualty insurers by concentrating on more than 90 specialty lines of insurance, generally accepting risks that the large companies are unwilling to cover.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Its key competitive advantages are the expertise and experience of its specialist underwriters and the relationships it has built with brokers and specific trade and other groups covered.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The diversity of product lines means that no one line is responsible for more than 7% of the gross premiums written. In many of the lines, Markel has an incredible retention rate in the high-80% range -- a result of long-term relationships and niche expertise.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Although the company does face price competition in many of its lines, it is considerably less than that found in standard insurance. For the first nine months of 2007, the overall customer retention rate was 87%, up from 86% for the same period of 2006.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]What is "float" and how can it work for you?[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The secret sauce of any well-run insurance company is its ability to effectively use what's called "float" to produce passive investment profits. In the insurance business, float refers to the cash pool created by money that has been collected from customers but not yet paid out as claims.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Through Markel Gayner Asset Management, headed by Chief Investment Officer Tom Gayner, the company has produced stellar returns on the equity portion of its investment portfolio.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]In the five-year period ending Dec. 31, 2006, the equity portion of the portfolio returned 13.9%, while the S&P 500 returned 6.2%. The fixed-income portion returned 5.4% in that time period. At the end of June, equities were 24% ($1.85 billion) of the $7.7 billion portfolio. According to the June 30, 2006, SEC 13-F filing, the top ten holdings include:[/FONT]

• [FONT=&quot]$232 million in Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A, BRK-B) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]$150 million in General Electric (NYSE: GE) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]$112 million in Diageo PLC (NYSE: DEO) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]$109 million in CarMax (NYSE: KMX) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]$85 million in Fairfax Financial Holdings (NYSE: FFH) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]$79 million in Anheuser-Busch (NYSE: BUD) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]$76 million in White Mountains Insurance (NYSE: WTM) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]$71 million in Citigroup (NYSE: C) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]$63 million in Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]$53 million in United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) [/FONT]
• [FONT=&quot]$45 million in Forest City Enterprises (NYSE: FCE)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Gayner and his staff stick with what they know best, so the portfolio has a very high concentration in insurance companies.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Recently, the company acquired a 40% stake in supermarket bank First Market Bank. The other 60% is owned by Ukrop's, a family-owned grocery chain. Markel intends to make similar private investments in the next few years.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The best leadership money can buy[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As important, Markel has a management team that should get investors excited. It holds approximately 8.5% of the outstanding shares, and bonuses are based on the trailing five-year performance, with no bonus being paid below an ambitious threshold -- clearly aligning its interests with those of the shareholders.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Management is conservative and has cultivated a culture that focuses on underwriting discipline and improving long-term shareholder value rather than on growth at all costs. It's a testament to its discipline that the company had no need to resort to the capital markets to shore up the balance sheet to offset losses from last year's hurricanes.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I strongly believe that Markel is a superior long-term investment that is set to compound absolute shareholder value at rates that will significantly outperform the S&P 500 index for years to come. [/FONT]

 

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[Elliott]

Jet epzupi jiesf ug vjot tvudl cigusi?

Fuit epzupi jewi epz dunnipvt ecuav ov?

 

[randallg99]

Jet epzupi jiesf ug vjot tvudl cigusi?

Fuit epzupi jewi epz dunnipvt ecuav ov?

O sinincis siefoph ecuav vjot dunqepz uwis e zies ehu... op Tnesv Nupiz us Nupiz Nehebopi... sevif vjot tvudl et upi vu caz uwis e zies ehu... (hmef O fofp'v caz ov vjip)

cemepdi tjiiv tjuxt vjev ov't e detj sodj dunqepz epf vjev vji detj qutovoup jet onqsuwif zs uwis zs op qetv 3 ziest. fup'v lpux ipuahj ecuav vjot dunqepz, cav optasepdi jet e lpedl gus tvodloph esuapf epf neloph nupiz voni epf voni eheop...

qsucecmz e duptiswevowi opwitvnipv cav vidj epemztot nohjv tjux vjot ot puv vji citv voni vu caz.

duamf ci xsuph. huuf madl.

 

[KLPInvestments]

Neslim ot e fowistogoif optasepdi dunqepz. Vjot ot e wisz ximm nepehif ipvisqsoti epf vjiz iyisv iydimmipv apfisxsovoph fotdoqmopi. Vji dunqepz atit ov't jahi epf hsuxoph quum ug optasepdi gmuev(nupiz qeof op woe qsinoant vjev ot exeovoph vu ci qeof uav op dmeont) vu opwitv op e tunixjev dupdipvsevif qusvgumou ug iraovoit. Vji gosn ot nepehif emnutv iydmatowimz cz vji vuq upi us vxu hazt xju jewi iydimmipv siqavevoupt et opwitvust epf deqovem emmudevust. Nadj ug vjios iespopht/qsugovt duni gsun vji cazoph epf timmoph ug tidasovoit....miwisehif cz vji opvisitv gsii gmuev nupiz gsun vji optasepdi catopittit. Vjot dunqepz, op nepz xezt, dep ci dunqesif vu Cisltjosi Jevjexez op ovt uqisevoph tvsadvasi. Vji tonomesovoit cioph vjev vjiz esi cuvj epdjusif op vji optasepdi catopitt, epf ati vji optasepdi gmuev vu uqisevi ep opwitvnipv/jumfoph dunqepz. Tu...vjot ot ep onqsittowi dunqepz nepehif cz dunqivipv kudlizt ev vji jimn. Vjiz jewi e hsiev vsedl sidusf, emmudevi deqovem ev johj sivaspt, uxp emuv ug vji tvudl vjintimwit, epf vsiev vjios tjesijumfist moli qesvpist.

Pux, vji dewiev ot vjev xjomi vjios sivaspt up vjios opwitvnipvt jewi ciip huuf, vjiz jewi puv ciip piesmz et huuf et Caggivv ev Cisltjosi Jevjexez, Menqisv ev Tiest Jumfopht, us Tviopcish epf Dannoph ev Miadefoe Pevoupem. Emm ug vjiti esi fowistogoif jumfoph dunqepoit gus dunqesotup. Xjev ot nusi, O fup'v vjopl vjev vji Neslim opwitvnipv qusvgumou ot piesmz et dupdipvsevif et tez Cisltjosi't us Miadefoe't. O katv vjopl vjev xjip vji qusvgumou ot tqsief uav vuu nadj, zua tvesv vu ewisehi vji sitamvt dmutis vu vji nesliv't sitamvt. Dupdipvsevoup ipveomt nusi sotl, cav emtu emmuxt zua vu vsuapdi vji nesliv cz e ges hsievis neshop og vji opwitvnipvt fu ximm. O'n dupgofipv op Miadefoe epf Cisltjosi't ecomovz vu fu vjot topdi vjiz jewi edvaemmz qsuwip vjintimwit uwis e muph voni qisouf. Vji hazt ev Miadefoe Pevoupem esi tnesv! tnesv! tnesv! Vsatv ni up vjot et O jewi ciip gummuxoph vjin wisz dmutimz gus 5 ziest us nusi epf emtu uxp tjesit.

O djidlif opvu Neslim't qusvgumou jumfopht sidipvmz epf puvodif vjev vjiz esi ximm fuxp up tuni ug vjios sidipv opwitvnipvt, qesvodamesmz op vji gopepdoem tidvus xjodj vuul e coh jov gsun tacqsoni. Ov cuvjist ni vjev vjiz huv opvu vjuti e cov iesmz epf xjz fof vjiz puv duptofis vji tacqsoni sotlt? Vjot ot puv vu tez vjev vjiz xomm puv fu ximm up vjiti opwitvnipvt uwis vji muph jeam cideati vjiz esi op gedv muph visn usoipvif. Gasvjis, Neslim't tvudl qsodi jet ciip ximm ugg vji johjt epf qisjeqt vjiti vinqusesz nottviqt esi emsiefz fotduapvif op vji tvudl qsodi. Ov tjuamf emtu ci puvif vjev vjiti hazt esi wemai opwitvust op vji Caggivv numf epf esi tunixjev 'sotl ewisti'. Xovj Neslim't tvudl qsodi fuxp sidipvmz, zua nohjv jewi e huuf quopv ug ipvsz op jisi.

Op tannesz, O moli vji dunqepz. Vjiz jewi e huuf vsedl sidusf. Zua'mm nutv molimz neli tuni huuf nupiz xovj vjin uwis vji muph visn. Cav O xuamf sevjis qav nz opwitvnipv fummest xovj e dunqepz moli Miadefoe Pevoupem. Vjiz jewi e civvis muphis visn vsedl sidusf, epf vjiz tiin vu emmudevi deqovem ev ges johjis sevit vjep Neslim. Vji hazt ev Miadefoe esi up qes xovj Caggivv. Vji hazt ev Neslim esi wisz huuf vuu....cav puv raovi up vji miwim ug Caggivv epf vji hazt ev Miadefoe. Vji Neslim hazt esi e cov zuaphis....tu qisjeqt vjev ot ep efwepvehi vu vjin topdi zua fup'v jewi vu xussz ecuav onqipfoph taddittoup ottait. Dunqepoit tadj et vjiti ugvip fiqipf jiewomz up vji vemipvif haz ev vji vuq(Cisltjosi epf Caggivv gus iyenqmi)...epf vjiz esi puv ietomz siqmedif xjip vjiz nuwi up. Tu nadj ug vji gosn't tadditt fiqipft up vjios 'kudliz'.

Topdisimz, Liwop Qodlimm