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Minority Stock Positions Stock Portfolio

BYD’s China Vehicle Sales Top 13,000 in March

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

While Tesla struggle to manufacture 2,000 Model 3 cars a month, Chinese new energy company BYD sold 13,000 of its plug-in electric cars in March.

The sales mark an increase of 116% year-over-year, and were 31% of the total BYD car sales for the month.

BYD is aiming to sell between 15,000 and 20,000 cars per month when its new model year debuts. The number is not unexpected, as the company sold 15,873 plug-in electric cars in December 2017.

BYD was number one worldwide in plug-in electric vehicle sales in 2017, its third consecutive year.

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2018 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Lubrizol

Lubrizol Designates Lipotec as Umbrella Brand

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

The Lubrizol Corporation has made Lipotec the umbrella brand for Active Ingredients within Lubrizol Skin Essentials, effective April 2018.

Lipotec was acquired by Lubrizol in 2012 and integrated with Functional Ingredients to create the Lubrizol Skin Essentials division.

The creation of Skin Essentials was Lubrizol’s first step to bring a complete advanced skin care offering to the market. Since then the team has leveraged its skin care science knowledge by focusing on ingredients and formulation concepts that deliver a beautiful and healthy skin experience to the market.

According to the company, Lubrizol Skin Essentials mission is “to become a partner to our clients and help accelerate their creativity with innovative concepts, strong technical and regulatory support, as well as flexibility in supply and delivery.”

© 2018 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Minority Stock Positions Stock Portfolio

BYD to Separate Vehicle Manufacturing from Battery Biz

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

In a move that is directly the opposite of Tesla’s acquisition of Solar City, Chinese new energy company BYD will reportedly spin-off its photovoltaic and rechargeable battery businesses into a separately traded public company.

Nissan made a similar move in the fall of 2017 when it sold its electric battery operations and production facilities to Chinese private investment fund GSR Capital.

BYD is currently one of the world’s top PV manufacturers, and produces from wafer to module with an automatic production line.

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2018 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Berkshire Hathaway Energy

Wind Powers Berkshire into Top Spot

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

With 6.751GW of wind power owned or under contract, Berkshire Hahtaway Energy has moved into the top spot for utilities generating power through wind farms.

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Berkshire passed Xcel Energy in 2017 to gain the top spot.

Berkshire’s MidAmerican Energy has set a goal of getting 100% of its energy generation from renewable sources, primarily wind power.

Other Berkshire utilities have also set ambitious goals.

PacifiCorp recently selected four new wind projects that will expand the amount of wind energy produced by 2020.

PacifiCorp’s owned and contracted wind power will increase by more than 60% and will.add enough wind power for approximately 450,000 average homes.

PacifiCorp’s new wind development is part of the company’s Energy Vision 2020 initiative, which also will upgrade the company’s existing owned wind fleet in Wyoming, Washington and Oregon with longer blades and newer technology, and build a new high-voltage transmission line in Wyoming to connect the new wind energy to PacifiCorp’s grid.

“We are committed to expanding the amount of renewable energy serving our customers, and these new wind projects will help us cost-effectively further that goal,” said Stefan Bird, President and CEO of Pacific Power, the unit of PacifiCorp that serves customers in Oregon, Washington, and California.

© 2018 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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HomeServices of America

ReeceNichols Real Estate Number One for 17th Consecutive Year

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

ReeceNichols Real Estate, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate and a wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America, was ranked number one in the Kansas City Business Journal’s “Top Area Residential Real Estate Firms” list for the 17th consecutive year.

The company had $4.78 billion in closed residential volume in 2017.

ReeceNichols has over 2,300 REALTORS® operating from 18 offices in the metropolitan area and 29 franchise offices across Kansas and Missouri.

“We attribute our continued success to our commitment to providing our agents with innovative programs and resources,” CEO Linda Vaughan said. “By equipping our over 2,200 agents with the tools they need to succeed, we are able to best serve the people of Kansas City — an honor we don’t take lightly. In 2017, we added resources allowing agents to use our data to generate and convert more leads than ever before and created a revamped mentorship program.”

In addition, five ReeceNichols Alliance office locations made the “Top Area Residential Real Estate Firms” list. Fourteen ReeceNichols agents and teams earned spots on the “Top Residential Real Estate Agents and Teams” list, including the top two spots. Reece Commercial Real Estate also ranked #10 on the “Top Area Commercial Real Estate Firms” list and #8 on the “Most Active Commercial Real Estate Firms” list.

“Our agents guided more than 17,000 Kansas City families through their home ownership journeys in 2017,” President Mike Frazier said. “We look forward to continuing this tremendous growth in 2018 — in the first quarter alone, we’ve introduced automated marketing services, a comprehensive social media academy and additional Certified ReeceNichols Consultant courses. These offerings, alongside our state-of-the-art website and cutting-edge tools, allow ReeceNichols agents to better serve the people of Kansas City and beyond.”

© 2018 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Berkshire Hathaway Energy

NV Energy Exceeds Nevada’s Renewable Energy Requirement for 8th Straight Year

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire’s Hathaway’s NV Energy achieved a 25.5 percent renewable energy and related credits level in northern Nevada and 23.1 percent in southern Nevada, for a combined weighted average of 23.8 percent.

This is the eighth year in a row that NV Energy has exceeded the state’s renewable energy requirement, which currently sits at a 20 percent level.

Separate from this legislated mandate, NV Energy has set a goal to double its renewable energy portfolio by 2023.

The most recent additions to NV Energy’s renewable energy portfolio included the 50-megawatt Boulder Solar 2 project in Eldorado Valley southeast of Las Vegas and the 179-megawatt Switch Station 1 and 2 project located in the Dry Lake Solar Energy Zone north of Las Vegas.

NV Energy’s Senior Vice President of Renewable Resources Dave Ulozas noted that NV Energy has been providing renewable energy to customers since the 1980s, and the most recent renewable energy rankings by the U.S. Energy Information Administration puts Nevada second in the nation for geothermal resources and fourth for solar energy.

“We are proud to continue to help expand Nevada’s growth in clean energy, which benefits both our customers and Nevada’s strengthening economy,” Ulozas said. “We’ve been able to accomplish this while keeping electricity rates about 15 percent lower than they were nearly a decade ago, and we anticipate adding a considerable amount of new renewable energy at similar or lower rates than we have in place today.”

Currently NV Energy customers benefit from 46 separate renewable energy projects in Nevada, which include 19 geothermal plants, 16 solar fields, six hydroelectric resources, four biomass or methane gas facilities and one large wind farm.

Five additional large solar fields are being constructed or developed for NV Energy customers, which are located in both northern and southern Nevada areas.

Additionally, the company and an independent evaluator are reviewing more than 100 bids for renewable energy projects and battery-energy storage systems proposed for 26 separate sites throughout Nevada. The winning bids will be submitted for approval to the PUCN by June 1, 2018.

© 2018 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Mouser Electronics

Mouser Electronics Expands Mexico Office

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire Hathaway’s Mouser Electronics, Inc., the industry’s leading new product introduction distributor with the widest selection of semiconductors and electronic components, has announced a significant expansion of its customer service and support center in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The new and expanded customer service center will serve local electronic design engineers, buyers and hardware innovators in the region, helping them to access the newest products and technical support for their designs. Mouser has 22 offices worldwide, including four locations in North America.

“Mouser’s business in Mexico has seen over 20 percent annual growth in recent years,” said Mark Burr-Lonnon, Mouser’s Senior Vice President of Global Service & EMEA and APAC Business.

Mouser’s office will remain at the Condominio Ejecutivo Presidente, although in a much larger and more prominent space. The location is in one of the most prestigious areas of the city, just minutes from Expo Guadalajara and many corporate and business centers.

“Our new, much larger location will accommodate more employees as we triple our staff, up to 42 people; this includes customer service representatives and technical support representatives to better serve customers throughout Latin America in local languages, time zones and currencies,” Burr-Lonnon said. “The Mexico branch will become a Center of Excellence for our Latin American customers.”

“We are very excited about this significant expansion and see our local presence in Mexico as an important contribution to Latin America’s vibrant environment for innovation, design and manufacturing,” said Coby Kleinjan, Mouser’s Vice President of Americas Customer Service and Sales. “We look forward to better serving our Latin American customers with best-in-class local service and fast delivery of the newest products and leading technologies from our 700+ manufacturer partners.”

Mouser gives design engineers, buyers and innovators easy access to the newest electronic components and comprehensive design resources. Mouser provides products and services to engineers around the world through its comprehensive website at Mouser.com, as well as via phone, email and fax. The larger office in Mexico will better support customers as well as assist with Mouser’s overall marketing efforts throughout the region.

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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BNSF

BNSF Carloads Bring Positive News

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Solid carload numbers are continuing to bring good news to BNSF Railway when compared to 2017.

Combined intermodal and carloads numbers are up 4.74% in the aggregate.

Of particular note are higher grain shipments, which as of the week ending April 7, 2018, are up 7.74% over the same period last year.

Also, showing strong numbers are sand and gravel shipments, which are up 8.12%, and petroleum is up 1.31 %.

Noteworthy on the downside are coal shipments, which are -1.94% and motor vehicles shipments are down -3.11%.

2017 was a strong year for BNSF, with the combined carloads including intermodal up 5.48%. So far, 2018 is even better.

© 2018 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Minority Stock Positions Stock Portfolio

BYD’s Electric Buses Launched in South Korea’s Jeju Island

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

New energy technology company BYD has debuted a fleet of 20 of its pure electric buses in South Korea’s pristine Jeju Island, the largest project of its kind in Northeast Asia.

The launch represents another milestone for BYD, which has gradually evolved from a rechargeable battery manufacturer to a new energy giant since its establishment in 1995.

BYD’s electric vehicles have a footprint in more than 200 cities worldwide.

The BYD eBus-7, the only pure electric mid-size bus in the South Korean market, will operate in Udo, the largest island of Jeju Island.

The eBus-7 is a compact 15-seater body that enables it to navigate the narrow roads of the small island with ease and without any carbon emissions.

The bus can travel a minimum range of 200 kilometers on a single charge, requiring only two hours to be fully charged.

BYD has rapidly drawn the attention of South Korean officials since its market entry in 2015 with product features such as the plug-and-charge capability of its electric buses.

Last December, the company’s President and founder Wang Chuanfu was among a group of industry delegates invited to attend a discussion with South Korean President Moon Jae-in during his official visit to China.

Earlier BYD also welcomed a group of 60 residents from Udo Island – approximately five percent of the local population – as they personally inspected the eBus-7 at BYD’s Shenzhen headquarters before the order was placed.

“Our track record in renewable energy reflects our mission to do something for the environment with the highest quality,” said Liu Xueliang, General Manager of BYD Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division. “Having passed South Korea’s rigorous vehicle safety standards, the eBus-7 is reflective of the excellent engineering behind our vehicles and suitable for the fragile terrain of Udo Island.”

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway

In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value almost ten-fold, and is now worth roughly $1.96 billion.

For More on BYD, read the Special Report: BYD, Berkshire’s Tesla.

© 2018 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Insurance

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Expands Insurance Offerings in Asia

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (BHSI) today introduced Executive First Private Company Portfolio and Executive First Nonprofit Organisation Portfolio policies in Asia.

“Our Private Company and Nonprofit Organisation Portfolio forms provide far-reaching, contemporary coverage backed by BHSI’s financial strength,” said Nero Shiu, Senior Manager, Executive & Professional Lines, BHSI in Hong Kong. “Both policies reflect our commitment to providing the simple, concise solutions customers need for multifaceted management liability risks in today’s world.”

The Private Company Portfolio extends coverage to both individuals and the entity and includes Directors & Officers Liability, Employment Practices Liability, and Employee Dishonesty coverages.

The Nonprofit Organisation Portfolio offers similar coverages, with the addition of Professional Indemnity protection to address the specific needs of a nonprofit organisation. Key features include pre-investigations cost coverage, court attendance coverage, and advancement of defence costs. Professional Indemnity protection includes coverage for corrective actions to help nonprofit organisations mitigate potential losses and avoid claims.

“Our new policies address the full range of claims private companies, nonprofit organisations, and their directors and officers may encounter today — from lawsuits arising from breach of compliance and disclosure requirements, to employee theft, to claims sparked by the acts of employees,” said Edwin Sim, Assistant Vice President, Executive & Professional Lines, BHSI in Singapore.

© 2018 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.