Analysts were expecting Markel Corp. (MKL) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $4.50 for last quarter, but MKL beat expectations with actual earnings of $6.02---$1.52 above the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $-14.46 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that MKL’s earnings are up this year.

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Also, if you compare MKL's 11.00% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 7.65% for the Property & Casualty Insurance industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect MKL to outperform the industry in the future---which is a good sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Property & Casualty Insurance industry, you can see how analysts believe MKL will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) [Chart - News - Analysis] and ALLIANZ SE (AZ) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe TRV's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 7.30% while AZ's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 7.43%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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Analysts were expecting The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $1.31 for last quarter, but TRV beat expectations with actual earnings of $1.61---30 cents above the consensus estimate. TRV also issued earnings guidance for next quarter that is above current analyst expectations.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $0.56 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that TRV’s earnings are up this year.

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Also, if you compare TRV's 7.43% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 7.63% for the Property & Casualty Insurance industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect TRV to underperform the industry in the future---which is a bad sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Property & Casualty Insurance industry, you can see how analysts believe TRV will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like ALLIANZ SE (AZ) [Chart - News - Analysis] and Allstate Corp. (ALL) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe AZ's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 7.43% while ALL's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 7.25%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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Analysts were expecting Platinum Underwriters Holdings Ltd. (PTP) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $1.45 for last quarter, but PTP beat expectations with actual earnings of $2.10---65 cents above the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $-0.99 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that PTP’s earnings are up this year.

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Also, if you compare PTP's 10.66% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 7.63% for the Property & Casualty Insurance industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect PTP to outperform the industry in the future---which is a good sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Property & Casualty Insurance industry, you can see how analysts believe PTP will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like ALLIANZ SE (AZ) [Chart - News - Analysis] and The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe AZ's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 7.43% while TRV's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 7.43%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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Analysts were expecting Zenith National Insurance Corp. (ZNT) [Chart - News - Analysis] to report earnings of $0.10 for last quarter, but ZNT beat expectations with actual earnings of $0.16---6 cents above the consensus estimate.

If you compare last quarter's earnings to the $0.00 the company made per share during the same quarter a year ago, you can see that ZNT’s earnings are up this year.

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Also, if you compare ZNT's 10.00% projected earnings-per-share (EPS) growth rate for the next five years with the projected EPS growth rate of 7.64% for the Property & Casualty Insurance industry as a whole during that same time frame, you can see that analysts expect ZNT to outperform the industry in the future---which is a good sign for the stock.

Drilling down a little deeper into the Property & Casualty Insurance industry, you can see how analysts believe ZNT will stack up against some of the other stocks in the industry, like ALLIANZ SE (AZ) [Chart - News - Analysis] and The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) [Chart - News - Analysis], in the future. Analysts believe AZ's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 7.43% while TRV's earnings are going to grow at a rate of 7.43%.

Earnings season can be a volatile time in the stock market. Check out these videos and articles to be better prepared to take advantage of the large price moves that tend to accompany earnings announcements.

- Earnings Season is Here - Find Out How to Trade It

- Using Options to Trade Earnings

- Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations

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Keefe Bruyette gave the Property & Casualty Insurance industry some bad news as it announced a downgrade on one of its stocks.

Zenith National Insurance Corp. (ZNT) [Chart - News - Analysis] was downgraded from Mkt Perform » Underperform on 10/15/2009---a negative sign for the stock that investors will have to endure. FYI, Keefe Bruyette uses the following rating scale when analyzing stocks: Outperform, Mkt Perform, Underperform.

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Zenith National Insurance Corp. has an average analyst recommendation score of 2.4 and competes for investment dollars with ALLIANZ SE (AZ) [Chart - News - Analysis] and The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV) [Chart - News - Analysis]---two other stocks in the Property & Casualty Insurance industry that have average analyst recommendation scores of 1.5 and 2.2 respectively.

Analyst recommendations are averaged and scored using the following rating scale:

- 1.0 = Strong Buy

- 2.0 = Buy

- 3.0 = Hold

- 4.0 = Sell

- 5.0 = Strong Sell

Why are Upgrades and Initiations Good and Downgrades Bad?

One event that is almost certain to get a reaction from Wall Street is an analyst upgrade or downgrade. Everyone is looking for an edge in the stock market, and quite often, traders turn to stock analysts to get that edge.

Upgrades and coverage initiations are typically good for stocks because they show that analysts either believe that the stock is going to perform better in the future or that the stock is worth covering and providing analysis on.

Downgrades are typically bad for stocks because they show that analysts believe that the stock is going to perform worse in the future.

What is a Stock Analyst?

Check out the Understanding Stock Analyst Research and Recommendations video and article for more info.

A stock analysts is a person---typically employed by a large bank, investment firm or analysis company---who devotes his/her life to learning and making predictions about a company and its future performance.

Stock analysts sift through company reports and filings, talk to company management, probe customers and competitors and basically do whatever they can to find out if a company is healthy and growing or sick and shrinking. Because this is incredibly demanding work, stock analysts typically only monitor one or two companies at a time.

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