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AFL vs. MKL: Aflac vs. Markel Stock Comparison

How do Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL) both belong to the Insurance industry, though AFL is classified under Life & Health Insurance while MKL falls under Property & Casualty Insurance.

Company profile comparison for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL)
Profile ItemAFLMKL
NameAflac IncorporatedMarkel Group Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupInsuranceInsurance
GICS IndustryInsuranceInsurance
GICS Sub-IndustryLife & Health InsuranceProperty & Casualty Insurance
Market Capitalization61.36 billion USD23.71 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980December 12, 1986
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AFL
MKL
GSPC
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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL)
MetricAFLMKL
Total Return (1Y)12.21%-4.35%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)18.21%13.21%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)20.06%8.36%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AFL
MKL
GSPC
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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Aflac (AFL) trades around 1.93M shares per day on average, while Markel (MKL) sees only 66.79K — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk profile metrics for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL)
MetricAFLMKL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)17.13%18.61%
Beta (5Y)0.550.57
Max Drawdown (5Y)-19.86%-28.87%
Avg. Volume (3M)1.93M66.79K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AFL and MKL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL)
MetricAFLMKL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.46-0.46
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.68-0.60

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Aflac (AFL) at 12.17% and Markel (MKL) at 9.75% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

AFL

Insurance industry group

12.17%

Max
41.68%
Q3
22.04%
Median
14.81%
AFL
12.17%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%

MKL

Insurance industry group

9.75%

Max
41.68%
Q3
22.04%
Median
14.81%
MKL
9.75%
Q1
8.79%
Min
-10.66%
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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL): A comparison of their ROE against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Aflac (AFL) at 21.24% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Markel (MKL) at 11.13%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AFL

Insurance industry group

21.24%

Max
29.92%
AFL
21.24%
Q3
17.03%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
Min
-4.68%

MKL

Insurance industry group

11.13%

Max
29.92%
Q3
17.03%
MKL
11.13%
Median
10.97%
Q1
6.21%
Min
-4.68%
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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL): A comparison of their net margin against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Aflac (AFL) in Insurance and Markel (MKL) in Insurance, funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL)
MetricAFLMKL
ROE (TTM)12.17%9.75%
ROA (TTM)2.39%2.21%
Net Margin (TTM)21.24%11.13%
Operating Margin (TTM)----
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Aflac (AFL) at -9.27% and Markel (MKL) at -2.49% post bottom-quartile revenue growth versus peers, pointing to weaker demand or pricing momentum than typical rivals.

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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Aflac (AFL) at -29.18% and Markel (MKL) at -15.10% post bottom-quartile EPS growth versus peers, pointing to weaker earnings momentum than typical rivals.

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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL)
MetricAFLMKL
Revenue Growth (YoY)-9.27%-2.49%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)-3.23%11.40%
EPS Growth (YoY)-29.18%-15.10%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-0.53%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Aflac (AFL) in Insurance and Markel (MKL) in Insurance both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Aflac (AFL) in Insurance and Markel (MKL) in Insurance run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL)
MetricAFLMKL
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Markel (MKL) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Aflac (AFL) reports a yield of 1.91%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AFL

Insurance industry group

1.91%

Max
5.12%
Q3
2.15%
AFL
1.91%
Median
0.98%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MKL

Insurance industry group

0.00%

Max
5.12%
Q3
2.15%
Median
0.98%
MKL
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Markel (MKL) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Aflac (AFL) reports a payout of 35.18%, ranking against industry peers normally.

AFL

Insurance industry group

35.18%

Max
76.67%
AFL
35.18%
Q3
35.18%
Median
14.74%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MKL

Insurance industry group

0.00%

Max
76.67%
Q3
35.18%
Median
14.74%
MKL
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL)
MetricAFLMKL
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.91%0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)35.18%0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Aflac (AFL) at 18.11 and Markel (MKL) at 13.80 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AFL

Insurance industry group

18.11

Max
28.37
Q3
18.75
AFL
18.11
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32

MKL

Insurance industry group

13.80

Max
28.37
Q3
18.75
MKL
13.80
Median
12.23
Q1
9.08
Min
2.32
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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Markel (MKL) at 1.47 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Aflac (AFL) at 3.70 sits in the pricier quartile — AFL costs more per dollar of sales.

AFL

Insurance industry group

3.70

Max
4.03
AFL
3.70
Q3
2.25
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07

MKL

Insurance industry group

1.47

Max
4.03
Q3
2.25
MKL
1.47
Median
1.23
Q1
0.85
Min
0.07
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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Aflac (AFL) at 2.10 and Markel (MKL) at 1.28 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

AFL

Insurance industry group

2.10

Max
5.07
Q3
2.79
AFL
2.10
Median
1.76
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30

MKL

Insurance industry group

1.28

Max
5.07
Q3
2.79
Median
1.76
MKL
1.28
Q1
1.23
Min
0.30
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Aflac (AFL) vs. Markel (MKL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Insurance industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Aflac (AFL) and Markel (MKL)
MetricAFLMKL
P/E Ratio (TTM)18.1113.80
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.701.47
P/B Ratio (MRQ)2.101.28
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----