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Markel Group reports 2024 second quarter and six-months results

Published

2 months ago

July 31, 2024

RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL) today reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2024. The Company also announced today it filed its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Markel Group aspires to build one of the world’s great companies and deploys three financial engines in pursuit of this goal: Insurance, Investments and Markel Ventures.

“Our Insurance engine continued to make steady progress in the second quarter,” said Tom Gayner, Chief Executive Officer. “Insurance results included notably strong performance in our international operations, and it is encouraging to see that the corrective actions we’ve taken since the end of last year, particularly within our professional and general liability insurance product lines, are beginning to bear fruit. Markel Ventures continues to impress, turning in strong growth in operating income despite softening market conditions, and our net investment income continues to grow. In late June, we welcomed Valor Environmental to our Markel Ventures family of companies, bringing the Ventures engine to twenty businesses that contribute to the financial and cultural strength of Markel Group. As we look to the future, we continue to see opportunities to help our shareholders, customers and associates win.”

The following table presents summary financial data, by engine, for the quarters and six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023.

	Quarter Ended June 30,		Six Months Ended June 30,
(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)	2024	2023	2024	2023 Advertisement
Operating revenues:
Insurance	$ 2,148,268	$ 2,108,881	$ 4,333,986	$ 4,118,813
Investments ⁽¹⁾	99,794	647,076	1,240,125 Advertisement	1,175,853
Markel Ventures	1,453,781	1,386,579	2,594,387	2,491,259
Total operating revenues	$ 3,701,843	$ 4,142,536	$ 8,168,498 Advertisement	$ 7,785,925

Operating income:
Insurance ⁽²⁾	$ 176,925	$ 197,361	$ 312,750	$ 374,701
Investments ⁽¹⁾	99,794	647,076 Advertisement	1,240,125	1,175,853
Markel Ventures	177,498	170,050	281,413	262,228
Consolidated segment operating income ⁽³⁾	454,217	1,014,487 Advertisement	1,834,288	1,812,782
Amortization of acquired intangible assets	(44,237)	(44,423)	(88,522)	(88,822)
Total operating income	$ 409,980	$ 970,064 Advertisement	$ 1,745,766	$ 1,723,960

Comprehensive income to shareholders	$ 244,356	$ 564,549	$ 1,152,741	$ 1,210,914
Diluted net income per common share	$ 18.62	$ 50.09 Advertisement	$ 94.24	$ 87.34

Net investment income ⁽¹⁾	$ 223,061	$ 169,693	$ 441,330	$ 329,028
Combined ratio	93.5 %	92.8 % Advertisement	94.4 %	93.4 %


⁽¹⁾	Net investment income, which is included in the results of our Investments engine, reflects the recurring interest and dividend earnings on our investment portfolio.
⁽²⁾	See “Supplemental Financial Information” for the components of our Insurance engine operating income.
⁽³⁾	See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for additional information on this non-GAAP measure.

Highlights of results from the quarter and six months:

All three engines contributed to a 5% increase in operating revenues in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023. The decrease in operating revenues and operating income in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the same period of 2023 was driven primarily by changes in mark-to-market movements within our Investments engine.
In the second quarter of 2024, our Investments engine was negatively impacted by unfavorable market value movements within our equity portfolio. Despite unfavorable movements in the second quarter, we benefited from overall favorable market value movements within our equity portfolio in the first half of 2024. Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) require that we include unrealized gains and losses on equity securities in net income. This may lead to short-term volatility in revenues and operating income that temporarily obscures our underlying operating performance.
Net investment income within our Investments engine increased 31% and 34% for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2024, respectively, reflecting higher interest rates and increased investment holdings in 2024 compared to 2023.
Our Markel Ventures engine grew operating revenues and income for both the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2024 driven by strong growth and performance across many of our products businesses.
Revenue growth in our Insurance engine for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2024 was primarily attributable to higher earned premiums, particularly within our international business, driven by new business growth and more favorable rates on select lines of business.
The higher combined ratio for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2024 was primarily attributable to higher attritional loss ratios on our U.S. professional liability and general liability product lines, including significant losses on the our recently discontinued intellectual property collateral protection insurance product, partially offset by the impact of more favorable development on prior years loss reserves in 2024 compared to 2023. For the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2024, the consolidated combined ratio included $56.4 million (2.7 points) and $96.8 million (2.3 points), respectively, of losses on our intellectual property collateral protection insurance product line.

We believe our financial performance is most meaningfully measured over longer periods of time, which tends to mitigate the effects of short-term volatility and also aligns with the long-term perspective we apply to operating our businesses and making investment decisions. The following table presents a long-term view of our performance.

	Six Months Ended June 30,	Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
Operating income (loss):
Insurance ⁽¹⁾ Advertisement	$ 312,750	$ 348,145	$ 928,709	$ 718,800	$ 136,985
Investments ⁽²⁾	1,240,125	2,241,419	(1,167,548)	2,353,124 Advertisement	989,564
Markel Ventures	281,413	519,878	404,281	330,120	306,650
Consolidated segment operating income ⁽³⁾	1,834,288	3,109,442 Advertisement	165,442	3,402,044	1,433,199
Amortization and impairment	(88,522)	(180,614)	(258,778)	(160,539)	(159,315)
Total operating income (loss) Advertisement	$ 1,745,766	$ 2,928,828	$ (93,336)	$ 3,241,505	$ 1,273,884

Net investment gains (losses) ⁽²⁾	$ 772,264	$ 1,524,054	$ (1,595,733)	$ 1,978,534 Advertisement	$ 617,979
Compound annual growth rate in closing stock price per share from December 31, 2019 to June 30, 2024	7 %


⁽¹⁾	See “Supplemental Financial Information” for the components of our Insurance engine operating income.
⁽²⁾	Investments engine operating income includes net investment gains (losses), which are primarily comprised of unrealized gains and losses on equity securities.
⁽³⁾	See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for additional information on this non-GAAP measure.

* * * * * * * *

A copy of our Form 10-Q is available on our website at mklgroup.com or on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Readers are urged to review the Form 10-Q for a more complete discussion of our financial performance. Our quarterly conference call, which will involve discussion of our financial results and business developments and may include forward-looking information, will be held Thursday, August 1, 2024, beginning at 9:30 a.m. (Eastern Time). Investors, analysts and the general public may listen to the call via live webcast at ir.mklgroup.com. The call may be accessed telephonically by dialing (888) 660-9916 in the U.S., or (646) 960-0452 internationally, and providing Conference ID: 4614568. A replay of the call will be available on our website approximately one hour after the conclusion of the call. Any person needing additional information can contact Markel Group’s Investor Relations Department at [email protected].

Supplemental Financial Information
The following table presents the components of our Insurance engine operating income.

	Quarter Ended June 30,		Six Months Ended June 30,		Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)	2024	2023	2024	2023 Advertisement	2023	2022	2021	2020
Insurance operating income (loss):
Insurance segment	$ 133,179	$ 134,651	$ 240,489	$ 231,155 Advertisement	$ 162,176	$ 549,871	$ 696,413	$ 169,001
Reinsurance segment	1,321	15,184	13,331	39,418	(19,265) Advertisement	83,859	(55,129)	(75,470)
Other insurance operations	42,425	47,526	58,930	104,128	205,234	294,979 Advertisement	77,516	43,454
Insurance	$ 176,925	$ 197,361	$ 312,750	$ 374,701	$ 348,145	$ 928,709	$ 718,800 Advertisement	$ 136,985

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Consolidated segment operating income is a non-GAAP financial measure as it represents the total of the segment operating income from each of our operating segments and excludes items included in operating income. Consolidated segment operating income excludes amortization of acquired intangible assets and goodwill impairments arising from purchase accounting as they do not represent costs of operating the underlying businesses. The following table reconciles operating income to consolidated segment operating income.

	Quarter Ended June 30,		Six Months Ended June 30,		Years Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)	2024	2023	2024 Advertisement	2023	2023	2022	2021	2020
Operating income (loss)	$ 409,980	$ 970,064	$ 1,745,766	$ 1,723,960 Advertisement	$ 2,928,828	$ (93,336)	$ 3,241,505	$ 1,273,884
Amortization of acquired intangible assets	44,237	44,423	88,522	88,822	180,614 Advertisement	178,778	160,539	159,315
Impairment of goodwill	—	—	—	—	—	80,000 Advertisement	—	—
Consolidated segment operating income	$ 454,217	$ 1,014,487	$ 1,834,288	$ 1,812,782	$ 3,109,442	$ 165,442	$ 3,402,044 Advertisement	$ 1,433,199

About Markel Group
Markel Group Inc. is a diverse family of companies that includes everything from insurance to bakery equipment, building supplies, houseplants, and more. The leadership teams of these businesses operate with a high degree of independence, while at the same time living the values that we call the Markel Style. Our specialty insurance business sits at the core of our company. Through decades of sound underwriting, the insurance team has provided the capital base from which we built a system of businesses and investments that collectively increase Markel Group’s durability and adaptability. It’s a system that provides diverse income streams, access to a wide range of investment opportunities, and the ability to efficiently move capital to the best ideas across the company. Most importantly though, this system enables each of our businesses to advance our shared goal of helping our customers, associates, and shareholders win over the long term. Visit mklgroup.com to learn more.

Cautionary Statement
Certain of the statements in this release may be considered forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs, plans or expectations, are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on our current plans, estimates and expectations. There are risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by such statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ are often presented with the forward-looking statements themselves. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ from those predicted are set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, including under “Business Overview,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Safe Harbor and Cautionary Statement,” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, including under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Safe Harbor and Cautionary Statement,” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk”. We assume no obligation to update this release (including any forward-looking statements) as a result of new information, developments, or otherwise. This release speaks only as of the date issued.

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COCA Celebrates Q2 2024 with Record-Breaking Milestones and New Launches

Published

2 months ago

August 7, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

HONG KONG, Aug. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — COCA, a pioneering force in the crypto wallet and financial services industry, has achieved several remarkable milestones in Q2 2024. Thanks to the steadfast support of its user community, COCA has launched new features, expanded its partnerships, and garnered prestigious accolades, further solidifying its position as a leader in the crypto space.

Launch of Physical Cards

COCA has introduced its highly anticipated physical cards, which are now available globally and compatible with Apple Pay and Google Pay. These cards allow users to make transactions with ease, earning cashback rewards on their purchases. This significant launch marks a step forward in integrating crypto with everyday financial activities, enhancing user convenience and financial flexibility.

Wallet Growth Milestone

The company has reached a significant milestone with 510,000 active wallets, reflecting a 102% growth quarter-on-quarter. This surge in active wallets highlights the increasing trust and adoption of COCA’s platform, as more users join the COCA community to manage their crypto assets securely and efficiently.

Transaction Volume Surge

In Q2 2024, COCA processed over USD 450,000 in transactions through its platform, demonstrating the robust usage and popularity of its financial services. This impressive transaction volume underscores COCA’s commitment to providing smooth and efficient crypto payment solutions.

Integration with Revolut

COCA has made it easier for users to fund their wallets by integrating with Revolut. This new feature allows seamless loading of crypto assets, enhancing the overall user experience and accessibility of COCA’s services.

Award Recognition

COCA has been honoured with the “Best Startup” award in the Financial Revolution category at CONF3RENCE & BLOCKCHANCE 2024. This award is a testament to COCA’s innovative approach and significant impact on the future of finance, recognizing its efforts in driving forward the digital financial ecosystem.

New Strategic Partnerships

COCA has formed strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as Wirex Pay and GoMining. These collaborations aim to provide users with enhanced rewards and a superior overall experience. The partnerships signify COCA’s dedication to expanding its ecosystem and delivering greater value to its users.

Welcoming Pavel Matveev

COCA is excited to announce the addition of Pavel Matveev, Founder of Wirex, to its team as a Strategy and Product Advisor. Pavel’s extensive experience and visionary approach are expected to drive COCA’s strategic initiatives and product development, contributing to the company’s continued growth and innovation.

Season 2 Point System Launch

Season 2 of COCA’s popular point system has launched, offering users the opportunity to earn points through various activities, including trades, referrals, holding assets, and spending with COCA cards. With a prize pool of USDT 3500 and 5 Wirex Pay Nodes, this season promises exciting rewards and increased user engagement. The season ends on August 9th, so users are encouraged to participate actively.

NFT Giveaway

In a special giveaway, COCA distributed 1000 GoMining NFTs to lucky users. These NFTs provide unique benefits, including enhanced mining capabilities and exclusive digital collectibles, adding significant value to the user experience.

For further details on COCA’s Q2 achievements and upcoming initiatives, visit the company’s blog.

Website: coca.xyz

COCA continues to redefine the crypto experience with its innovative solutions, seamless integrations, and user-focused approach. The company’s recent milestones and future plans highlight its commitment to leading the way in the digital financial landscape.

About COCA

COCA is a next-generation crypto super app designed to simplify and secure the crypto experience for users worldwide. With innovations in security, usability, and integration, COCA is at the forefront of the digital asset revolution. For more information, visit coca.xyz.

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Stake and Earn with KuCoin’s Innovative GemPool Platform

Published

2 months ago

August 7, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Aug. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — KuCoin, a leading global cryptocurrency exchange, is excited to announce the launch of GemPool, its innovative new platform that allows users to acquire token airdrops as a reward for staking their crypto assets. This unique product is designed to provide early access to emerging crypto projects while offering rewards for their existing holdings at zero cost. By staking respective tokens in separate pools, users can farm new tokens and gain a foothold in the latest developments within the cryptocurrency market.

GemPool also offers flexible staking terms, allowing users to stake and un-stake their assets anytime within the designated period without lock-up restrictions. This flexibility ensures that users can manage their assets according to their preferences and market conditions. Additionally, GemPool provides zero-cost rewards, enabling users to earn tokens while holding their existing cryptocurrencies. By staking their tokens, users contribute to the growth of promising new projects, supporting innovation and development within the crypto space. With completion of tasks offered, users are eligible to earn multiplier bonus and receive more rewards.

Users can participate by staking KCS, USDT, or other specified assets in designated pools. The rewards are earned according to the respective yields of the pools, ensuring a fair and exciting experience for all users.

For more information on how to participate and the benefits of GemPool, please visit the KuCoin GemPool page.

About KuCoin

Launched in September 2017, KuCoin is a leading cryptocurrency exchange with its operational headquarters in Seychelles. As a user-oriented platform with a focus on inclusiveness and community engagement. It offers over 900 digital assets across Spot trading, Margin trading, P2P Fiat trading, Futures trading, and Staking to its 34 million users in more than 200 countries and regions. KuCoin ranks as one of the top 6 crypto exchanges. KuCoin was acclaimed as “One of the Best Crypto Apps & Exchanges of June 2024” by Forbes Advisor and has been included as one of the top 50 companies in the “2024 Hurun Global Unicorn List”. Learn more at https://www.kucoin.com/.

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Trust Wallet Launches Gamified Education Platform and Loyalty Program to Enhance and Reward Web3 Learning

Published

2 months ago

August 7, 2024

CISION (PR Newswire)

DUBAI, UAE, Aug. 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Trust Wallet, the world’s leading self-custody Web3 wallet and Web3 gateway trusted by over 130 million users, has launched Trust Wallet Quests, a gamified education platform within the Trust Wallet mobile app which encourages users to earn points while exploring and learning about Web3.

Users can engage in task-based challenges ranging from quizzes to complex problem-solving scenarios composed of various DeFi and Web3 activities, all designed to deepen their understanding of blockchain technology and decentralized applications (dApps), and expose them to exciting opportunities within Web3. As an incentive, users will earn Trust Points, a loyalty-based points system designed to reward user activity within the Trust Wallet mobile app. With Trust Points, users can earn rewards upon the completion of specific tasks, making Web3 more rewarding and fun.

In the future, Trust Points will offer additional gamification features, such as unlocking achievements, badges, and levels. This interactive approach not only boosts individual learning but also contributes to broader community education and adoption of decentralized technologies, making Trust Wallet Quests a dynamic and exciting way to reward loyal users and engage with communities in Web3.

On the motive for launching Trust Wallet Quests, Eowyn Chen, CEO of Trust Wallet, stated: “The complex technology and fast-paced industry can be intimidating for both new and seasoned users. The introduction of Quests on Trust Wallet further solidifies our commitment to making it easier for millions to navigate Web3, aligning perfectly with our mission to build a seamless Web3 hub and open ecosystem for all.”

Nate Zou, Head of Product at Trust Wallet, highlighted what to expect from Trust Points and Trust Wallet Quests: “Trust Points and Quests are just the first iteration of a much-needed reward system for our community. Within 2024, we have plans to build on this, combining rewards with many of our other web3 product offerings. Overall, we envision this points system not only changing how users engage with Trust Wallet, but also encouraging more collaboration between Trust Wallet, our users and other web3 ecosystem players.”

Trust Wallet Quests and Trust Points are now available on both Android and iOS versions of Trust Wallet’s mobile app. Download here: https://short.trustwallet.com/TrustWalletQuests

About Trust Wallet

Trust Wallet is the self-custody, multi-chain Web3 wallet and Web3 gateway for people who want to fully own, control, and leverage the power of their digital assets. From beginners to experienced users, Trust Wallet makes it easier, safer, and convenient for millions of people around the world to experience Web3, access dApps securely, store and manage their crypto and NFTs, buy, sell, and stake crypto to earn rewards, all in one place and without limits.