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15 hours ago, UK said:

 

I like the pushback. GEICO's issues are well known here. I haven't paid attention to BNSF much and just assumed they were whipping the crap out of the competition. But short BRK? Nah. Looking forward to part 2. I'm assuming he'll dis BHE and the cash pile. I hope he tears into OXY.

Edited by DooDiligence
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On 9/27/2024 at 11:47 PM, UK said:

The article or VIC thesis makes some good points. You can also add Lubrizol and PCP to the list of subsidies that seem to have fallen behind. I think the recently higher multiple in combination with Berkshire subs underperforming peers is a recipe for the stock underperform the index going forward.

Edited by Spekulatius
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On 9/28/2024 at 5:47 AM, UK said:

 

I personally think the way to assess this overall situation [lack of performance at certain subsidiaries for the time being], is - at least to some extent - overestimating the role of Mr. Buffett here and understimating the roles of Mr. Abel and Mr. Jain.

 

Please note the development in their bonuses :

 

image.png.f29e5d2e5241d58ea4ff8c05710151da.png

 

Those gents are on the payroll for USD 20 M each with operational responsibilities.

 

Personally I feel quite confident, the man at the top is asking persistently 'what can we do about it, and what are we doing about it?'. If investments are needed to fix issues they will be done, this has always been first priority capital allocation since Berkshire became 'big'.

 

It will certainly be interesting to follow and study going forward.

Edited by John Hjorth
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5 hours ago, John Hjorth said:

image.png.f29e5d2e5241d58ea4ff8c05710151da.png

 

Personally I feel quite confident, the man at the top is asking persistently 'what can we do about it, and what are we doing about it?'. If investments are needed to fix issues they will be done, this has always been first priority capital allocation since Berkshire became 'big'.

 

It will certainly be interesting to follow and study going forward.

 

Warren be getting egregious and tapping the till. Old boy needs to pay for his own Hoveround. Time to hit the exits.

Edited by DooDiligence
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19 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

The article or VIC thesis makes some good points. You can also add Lubrizol and PCP to the list of subsidies that seem to have fallen behind. I think the recently higher multiple in combination with Berkshire subs underperforming peers is a recipe for the stock underperform the index going forward.

+1 to the VIC article. We recently switched from Geico to Progressive after being a loyal customers with no insurance related issues and Berkshire share holder for a while. I won't be surprised if all/most of Berkshire subsidiaries have the same problem; a lady who was a Harvard Biz school grad was put in charge of the paint business. I believe she is not there anymore now.

 

Some issues with Geico:

 

(1) There used to be a discount for Berkshire shareholders, doesn't exist anymore

(2) The support has been scaled back dramatically; In Geico portal, one can get the number for the home insurance company (which is a partner to Geico) but one gets a chatbot or an agent via the chatbot to converse with for Geico related issues.

(3) Agents over chatbot simply not willing to look at the policy and make adjustments - it is take it or leave it

(4) Payment options - Progressive provides multiple payment options from the get go, an app to electronically show one has insurance etc.

(5) Some services are offered by Geico (e.g:, roadside assistance) but difficult/impossible to get hold of people when you get a flat tire or the battery dies. AAA provides better service.

 

I hope Geico recovers and gets my family's business back. They need some folk(s) from progressive or folks that understand tech to fix the place. Atleast look at the competition to see what they offer and how Geico can get better. There is intense competition for good customers and we get pinged by multiple providers regularly.

Edited by TB
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1 hour ago, TB said:

We recently switched from Geico to Progressive after being a loyal customers with no insurance related issues

I feel it will be interesting to see how the Progressive rates will compare to Geico rates after a couple of renewals.

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44 minutes ago, Hektor said:

I feel it will be interesting to see how the Progressive rates will compare to Geico rates after a couple of renewals.

 

I switched from GEICO to Progressive in Jan 2023. It pains me to say that the rates are still great.

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Geico is being run like a declining business. Maybe the next few decades are not so rosy for auto insurers. It is better to take out the capital from the business.
The expanse ratio is 8.7% for me it's unheard of in this industry. 
The problem was they hadn't invested enough to get better pricing. 
Edited by Green King
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9 minutes ago, KPO said:

Interesting to see WEB use stock to buyout the Walter Scott family BHE interest. I like the move at these levels. 

 

Agree, this looks like a no brainer. Happy Berk now owns 100% of the energy division.

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24 minutes ago, KPO said:

Interesting to see WEB use stock to buyout the Walter Scott family BHE interest. I like the move at these levels.

Quote

 

According to a Tuesday regulatory filing, Berkshire Hathaway Energy will acquire 4.42 million shares of its voting common stock and a $100 million bond maturing in 2057, in exchange for the $2.37 billion in cash and a $600 million, one-year note.

 

Scott's family will also receive about 1.6 million Berkshire Class B shares, worth about $737 million as of Monday's close.

 

 

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49 minutes ago, KPO said:

Interesting to see WEB use stock to buyout the Walter Scott family BHE interest. I like the move at these levels. 

 

Didnt BRK pay a much higher price to Greg Abel a couple of years ago? Has the value of BHE dropped in the last 2 years?

Edited by adesigar
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16 minutes ago, adesigar said:

 

Didnt BRK pay a much higher price to Greg Abel a couple of years ago? Has the value of BHE dropped in the last 2 years?

Yes to both. I suspect part of it is the wildfire lawsuits impacting the valuation. Also, the share issuance is beneficial to the Scott family from a tax perspective, so they may have taken a bit less for the equity portion of the transaction. 

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7 minutes ago, KPO said:

Also, the share issuance is beneficial to the Scott family from a tax perspective, so they may have taken a bit less for the equity portion of the transaction. 

 

How beneficial?  Like zero taxes beneficial?

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2 minutes ago, villainx said:

 

How beneficial?  Like zero taxes beneficial?

Deferred taxes on any capital gain vs. an all cash buyout. If/when they sell the Berkshire shares they will likely have gains to pay taxes on, although they may get some benefit from a basis step up.

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That's interesting.  I assume they got step up around time Abel sold his 1%? So that would have set valuation a little higher than today's sale price.  So it would have been tax neutral, no?  (That's if I'm following the timeline correctly from above posts) But I guess I don't know the internal workings of the Scott trust.

Edited by villainx
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19 minutes ago, villainx said:

That's interesting.  I assume they got step up around time Abel sold his 1%? So that would have set valuation a little higher than today's sale price.  So it would have been tax neutral, no?  (That's if I'm following the timeline correctly from above posts) But I guess I don't know the internal workings of the Scott trust.

Possibly. I’d have to look at the timeline closer as his passing likely catalyzed a valuation reset, and Abel’s transaction may have reset it again.  I don’t have access to the trust details, but if their current valuation was based on the Abel sale mark, I’m curious as to why they took Berkshire equity, particularly near an all time high. 

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Wow! After reading the filing, BRK paid $650 per BHE share, a very big mark-down from $1,174 per share they paid for Abel's shares in 2022. That's a 45% mark-down!!

 

This may very well mean that BHE may be pulling back on utility investments significantly. 

Edited by Munger_Disciple
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9 minutes ago, Munger_Disciple said:

Wow! After reading the filing, BRK paid $650 per BHE share, a very big mark-down from $1,174 per share they paid for Abel's shares in 2022. That's a 45% mark-down!!

 

This may very well mean that BHE may be pulling back on utility investments significantly. 

Yeah, Greg’s timing has me a little less concerned about his investing chops.
 

Whatever the case, I hope reinvesting in BHE drops to maintenance capex levels until the industry and the government arrive at a sustainable solution for wildfire liabilities. If that doesn’t happen I think Buffett and Abel need to reconsider this business altogether. 

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8 minutes ago, KPO said:

Yeah, Greg’s timing has me a little less concerned about his investing chops.
 

Whatever the case, I hope reinvesting in BHE drops to maintenance capex levels until the industry and the government arrive at a sustainable solution for wildfire liabilities. If that doesn’t happen I think Buffett and Abel need to reconsider this business altogether. 

 

For a regulated utility, pretty much all capital expenditures including any maintenance expenses have to be approved by the regulator since they affect the rate base. 

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The 92% figure is from the BRK 10-K on page K-7. Does the filing state that BRK now owns 100% of BHE? Is it possible that there is another minority shareholder that is still holding a small position?

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26 minutes ago, jbwent63 said:

The 92% figure is from the BRK 10-K on page K-7. Does the filing state that BRK now owns 100% of BHE? Is it possible that there is another minority shareholder that is still holding a small position?

 

Berkshire now owns 100% of BHE; there are no other minority shareholders. 

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8 minutes ago, Munger_Disciple said:

 

BHE

 

Thanks for the elaboration, @Munger_Disciple,

 

In the 2024Q2 Berkshire 10-Q, we have Berkshire minority interests as per June 30th 2024 of USD 6,274 M. At that date, there must be more than BHE.

 

Off my head I can't come with what the rest by now must be related to.

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