The short version

From the latest prices and each company's SEC filings. Who's ahead on each measure, not which to buy.

  • Cincinnati Financial is the larger company, worth $25.8B, close to Markel's $22.5B.
  • Cincinnati Financial grew revenue faster over the last year (+31.6% vs -0.1%).
  • Cincinnati Financial keeps more of each dollar of revenue as operating profit (29.8% vs 19.9%).
  • On earnings, Cincinnati Financial is the cheaper stock (9.5x vs 13.0x).
  • Markel's price assumes faster free cash flow growth: about -6% a year, against -7% for Cincinnati Financial (reverse DCF).

Side by side

The stronger figure is shaded where higher (or, for valuation multiples, lower) reads as better. How the implied growth works.

MeasureCINFMKL
Market cap$25.8B$22.5B
Share price$163.39$1,760.74
Revenue (last fiscal year)$12.6B$15.5B
Free cash flow (last fiscal year)$3.1B$2.6B
Revenue growth, last year+31.6%-0.1%
Revenue growth per year, last 5 fiscal years+7.0%+4.8%
Operating margin29.8%19.9%
Net margin23.8%14.7%
Return on equity20.0%12.0%
P/E (trailing)9.52x13.0x
Price / free cash flow8.34x8.81x
EV / EBITDA5.65x—
FCF growth the price implies-6.7%-5.9%
Dividend yield2.1%—
Debt / equity1.59x2.73x
Fundamental gradeBC
Superinvestors holding it27
Insider purchases, last 12 months52

Results from SEC filings

Revenue and free cash flow by fiscal year, from each company's 10-K filings.

Cincinnati Financial

YearRevenueFree cash flowOp. margin
2021$9.6B$2.0B38.4%
2022$6.6B$2.0B-10.6%
2023$10.0B$2.0B22.7%
2024$11.3B$2.6B25.2%
2025$12.6B$3.1B23.6%

Markel

YearRevenueFree cash flowOp. margin
2021$12.8B$2.1B25.2%
2022$11.7B$2.5B-0.80%
2023$14.3B$2.5B20.5%
2024$14.8B$2.3B25.1%
2025$15.5B$2.6B20.6%

Where the revenue comes from

Cincinnati Financial · by segments, 2023

Commercial Insurance$4.3B46%
Personal Insurance$2.0B22%
Investments Segment$2.0B22%
Excess and Surplus Lines Insurance$545M6%
Life Insurance Segment$323M4%

Markel · by segments, 2024

Insurance$7.4B45%
Markel Ventures$5.1B31%
Investing$2.8B17%
Reinsurance$1.0B6%
Other Insurance Operations$292M2%
Compare them in fullFifteen years of statements, quarterly results, DCF and IRR models, and any number of peers side by side.
Open CINF in Investingly

Questions

Which is bigger, Cincinnati Financial or Markel?

Cincinnati Financial (CINF), at $25.8B against $22.5B.

Is CINF or MKL cheaper?

By trailing P/E, Cincinnati Financial (9.52x) is cheaper than Markel (13.0x). A lower multiple can also mean the market expects less growth.

Which grows faster, CINF or MKL?

Cincinnati Financial: revenue grew +31.6% over the last year, against -0.1%.

Prices and ratios as of the last daily update; statements from SEC filings. Information only, not investment advice.