Markel Group (MKL) reported a 2,010% increase in earnings last quarter as revenue surged 37% to $4.61 billion. Outstanding results, right? Perhaps all the more so because it had an outlier weak showing the prior quarter and quickly bounced back.

In fact, specialty insurer Markel Group has posted outstanding results in three of the last four quarters. It reported EPS gains of 15%, 103%, then the down quarter with a 63% year-over-year drop, with the 2,000%-plus recovery last quarter as it reported $66.25 EPS vs. just $3.14 the same quarter a year earlier.

On Thursday, Markel stock got a Relative Strength Rating upgrade from 79 to 82, passing a milestone along the way. Market research shows that the market's biggest winners tend to have an RS Rating over 80 in the early stages of their moves.

Markel Stock Qualifies For Elite Group

When considering what names to put on your watchlist, look for stocks with an 80 or higher RS Rating. Markel Group just cleared that benchmark with its upgrade from 79 to 82.

Among its other key ratings Markel has a 41 EPS Rating and an 82 Composite Rating, putting it in the top 18% of stocks overall. Its B Accumulation/Distribution Rating shows that ETFs, mutual funds and other institutional investors are fairly heavy buyers of its stock.

Hone Your Stock-Picking Skills By Focusing On These Factors

Glen Allen, Va.-based Markel, near Richmond, offers targeted, specialty insurance products in a variety of niche markets. It also writes reinsurance contracts.

Working On A Flat Base

Markel Group stock is building a flat base with a 1,809.11 buy point. See if it can clear the breakout price in volume at least 40% higher than normal. Thursday afternoon Markel was up for the day, heading for its fourth higher close in a row.

Markel Group earns the No. 24 rank among its peers in the 61-stock Insurance-Property/Casualty/Title industry group. AXIS Capital Holdings (AXS), Goosehead Insurance (GSHD) and Allstate (ALL) are among the top five highly rated stocks in the group.

IBD's proprietary Relative Strength Rating measures technical performance by using a 1 (worst) to 99 (best) score that indicates how a stock's price performance over the trailing 52 weeks matches up against other publicly traded companies.

RELATED:

IBD Stock Rating Upgrades: Rising Relative Strength

See Stocks On The List Of Leaders Near A Buy Point

Why Should You Use IBD's Relative Strength Rating?

Ready To Grow Your Investing Skills? Join An IBD Meetup Group!

MarketSurge: Research, Charts, Data And Coaching All In One Place