Categories
Financial Reports

Berkshire Hathaway Slows Stock Buybacks in Q2

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

Berkshire Hathaway spent roughly $1 Billion on stock buybacks in the second quarter of 2020, less than a third of what the company repurchased in the first quarter.

The buybacks have slowed dramatically from 2021’s pace, reflecting Berkshire’s rising share price. In the fourth quarter of 2021, Berkshire repurchased $6.9 billion in combined Class A and Class B common stock, and Berkshire’s $27 billion in buybacks for 2021 was a record for the company.

© 2022 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 a 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

Berkshire Hathaway Energy to Acquire 400 MW of Wind Generation in Montana

Berkshire Hathaway Energy and NaturEner USA, LLC have applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for BHE to acquire from NaturEner USA its 100 percent upstream equity interests in the NaturEner Wind Project Companies.

The transaction will give BHE roughly 400 MW of wind generation in Montana from three wind farms: Glacier I, Glacier II and Rim Rock.

Glacier 1 operates a 106.5 MW wind-powered generating facility in Glacier and Toole Counties, Montana, and limited interconnection facilities, and is interconnected to the NorthWestern Energy transmission system.

Glacier 2 owns and operates a 103.5 MW wind-powered generating facility in Glacier and Toole Counties, Montana, and limited interconnection facilities, and is interconnected to the Glacier Electric Cooperative transmission system.

Rim Rock owns and operates a 189 MW wind-powered generating facility in Glacier and Toole Counties, Montana, which is interconnected with the transmission facilities of MATL LLP.

BHE Transmission wholly owns MATL, which owns a 230-kV merchant transmission line running from Great Falls, Montana to Lethbridge, Canada.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy and NaturEner USA have requested a shortened comment period of 21 days to allow for the issuance of an order on or before October 3, 2022.

According to their application, a shortened comment period and expedited consideration are appropriate because the Proposed Transaction does not involve a merger, does not require an Appendix A analysis, and is consistent with Commission precedent.

© 2022 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 a 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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Insurance

Berkshire Hathaway Insurer Uses AI Software to Determine Wildfire Fire Risk

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

With devastation from wildfires growing every year, Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies is now using advanced software that analyzes a property that falls within a wildfire perimeter and predicts how likely is it to be destroyed.

A recent report from Aon found there were three separate wildfires in 2021 alone that generated economic losses beyond $1 billion, which outlines the growing importance of property-specific risk models for maintaining coverage in wildfire-prone states.

BHHC is using Zesty.ai’s wildfire model (Z-FIRE™) that combines vital property details and actual loss data with machine learning to produce a predictive risk score.

BHHC has expanded their partnership with Zesty.ai, extending the use of Zesty.ai’s AI-powered wildfire risk model, Z-FIRE™, to 12 states.

Z-FIRE™ will be used to inform both underwriting and rating decisions, and the partnership expansion comes at a critical time for the insurance industry.

“Unfortunately, wildfires are impacting communities well beyond the western U.S., and managing that risk requires advanced models that help us truly understand wildfire risk at the individual-property level. Zesty.ai’s model has outperformed our homegrown wildfire risk model,” said Brian Hall, Vice President – Products and Underwriting at Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies. “We started working with Zesty.ai last year and saw an immediate opportunity to leverage granular wildfire insights that allow us to confidently write policies that commensurate with a property’s true risk.”

Z-FIRE™ not only provides regional and property-specific risk scores but also an explanation of the specific risk factors affecting the property. Using artificial intelligence that has been trained on more than 1,500 wildfire events across more than 20 years of historical loss data, it considers property-level features that influence risk.

Topography, historical climate data and critical factors extracted from high-resolution imagery such as building materials and surrounding vegetation in multiple defensible spaces are taken into account. This empowers insurers with a true property-level risk score that effectively splits risk, while providing the flexibility to recognize mitigation efforts by homeowners and their respective communities.

“The Berkshire Hathaway Homestate Companies have always been known for taking a progressive, innovative approach to risk management, and as wildfires continue to reach new geographies we commend them for being proactive with their approach to rating and underwriting around wildfire risk,” said Attila Toth, Founder & CEO of Zesty.ai. “The broad adoption of Z-FIRE™, which is now used in rating and underwriting across the entire Western US, is a critical piece of hardening the insurance industry and their customers to defend against climate risks.”

© 2022 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 a 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.

Categories
GEICO

GEICO Shutters All 38 California Offices

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

GEICO has closed all 38 of its offices in California and laid off several hundred employees.

According to the insurer, the move will not impact its ability to write policies in the state.

“We continue to write policies in California, and we remain available through our direct channels for the more than 2.18 million California customers presently insured with us,” GEICO said in a Sacramento Bee article.

© 2022 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.

Categories
BNSF

BNSF Expands Intermodal Capacity in Pacific Northwest

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

BNSF Railway has received approval from the Commissioners of the Northwest Seaport Alliance to develop and operate a domestic intermodal facility at Lot M in the Tacoma Harbor.

The new BNSF facility will increase cargo volumes moving to and from the NWSA and inland U.S. markets via rail. The adoption of this lease uniquely positions the NWSA as a port directly served by two mainline railroads in the domestic movement of containers.

“Growing the NWSA’s domestic intermodal volumes has long been a goal for the Seattle and Tacoma gateway,” stated NWSA Co-Chair and Port of Tacoma Commissioner President Don Meyer. “The new facility will increase job opportunities while reducing truck emissions associated with moving cargo to inland markets.”

BNSF currently operates a domestic intermodal facility in Tukwila serving the NWSA’s Seattle Harbor. The new Tacoma intermodal facility will bring additional key rail assets to the Pacific Northwest region with the potential for more than 50,000 container lifts in subsequent years.

“The new Tacoma South facility builds upon our joint initiative with J.B. Hunt to substantially improve capacity in the intermodal marketplace while also meeting the expanding needs of our customers,” said Tom Williams, BNSF group vice president, Consumer Products. “Our collaboration with the NWSA will help support greater warehousing and distribution needs in the fast-growing greater Seattle area.”

Currently, cargo movement occurs by truck to more than 40 transload facilities in the Puget Sound or directly by rail to inland locations. The increase in domestic rail movement will add additional jobs to NWSA-licensed facilities while reducing fuel consumption and air emissions that are caused by trucks throughout the Puget Sound region.

Operations at the new facility are expected to begin in August of this year.

© 2022 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 a 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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Lessons From Warren Buffett

Lessons From Warren Buffett: Which Annual Reports Are Worth Reading?

There are so many public companies, each producing an annual report, that it can overwhelming as to where to start if you want read annual reports. Warren Buffett uses a very simple approach, he starts with reading the reports of companies that he understands and avoids the rest. How valuable is an annual report? Buffett believes it has all you need to know in order to decide whether to buy a stock. He cites his purchase of Coca-Cola stock as a prime example.

“We start by looking at the reports of companies that we think we can understand,” Warren Buffett said at the 1998 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting. “And then we see from that report whether the management is telling us about the things that we would want to know about if we owned a hundred percent of the company. . . . For example, I would say that the Coca-Cola annual report over the last good many years is an enormously informative document. I mean, I can’t think of any way if I’d have a conversation with Roberto Goizueta, or now Doug Ivester, and they were telling me about the business, they would not be telling me more than I get from reading that annual report. We bought that stock based on an annual report. We did not buy it based on any conversation of any kind with the top management of Coca-Cola before we bought our interest. We simply bought it based on reading the annual report, plus our knowledge of how the business worked.”

Hear Buffett’s full explanation

See the complete Lessons From Warren Buffett series

© 2022 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.

Categories
Insurance

Berkshire Hathaway’s Trident Mortgage Company To Pay $22 Million for Deliberate Discrimination Against Minority Families

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) took action to end Berkshire Hathaway’s Trident Mortgage Company’s intentional discrimination against families living in majority-minority neighborhoods in the greater Philadelphia area.

The CFPB and DOJ allege Trident redlined majority-minority neighborhoods through its marketing, sales, and hiring actions. Specifically, Trident’s actions discouraged prospective applicants from applying for mortgage and refinance loans in the greater Philadelphia area’s majority-minority neighborhoods. If entered by the court, the settlement, among other things, would require Trident to pay a $4 million civil penalty to the CFPB to use for the CFPB’s victims’ relief fund. The Attorneys General of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware also finalized concurrent actions.

“Trident illegally redlined neighborhoods in the Philadelphia area, excluding qualified families seeking to own a home,” said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. “With housing costs so high, it is critical that illegal discrimination does not put homeownership even further out of reach.”

“Last fall, I announced the Department’s Combatting Redlining Initiative and promised that we would mobilize resources to make fair access to credit a reality in underserved neighborhoods across our country,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “As demonstrated by today’s historic announcement, we are increasing our coordination with federal financial regulatory agencies and state Attorneys General to combat the modern-day redlining that has unlawfully plagued communities of color.”

“This settlement is a stark reminder that redlining is not a problem from a bygone era. Trident’s unlawful redlining activity denied communities of color equal access to residential mortgages, stripped them of the opportunity to build wealth and devalued properties in their neighborhoods,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This settlement ensures that significant lending resources will be infused into neighborhoods of color in and around Philadelphia that have historically experienced racial discrimination. Along with our federal and state law enforcement partners, we are sending a powerful message to lenders that they will be held accountable when they run afoul of our fair lending laws.”

Trident Mortgage Company is a limited partnership incorporated in Delaware. Trident is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fox & Roach LP, which is owned by Home Services of America, Inc. The ultimate holding company of Trident is Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.

Until it stopped accepting mortgage loan applications in 2021, Trident was a non-depository mortgage company operating in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Trident’s lending focus was first mortgage loans and refinancing home loans. Between 2015 and 2017, about 80% of Trident’s mortgage applications came from the Philadelphia Metropolitan Statistical Area (referred to as the Philadelphia MSA.) The Philadelphia MSA includes the cities of Philadelphia, PA, Camden, NJ, and Wilmington, DE, as well as Cecil County, MD.

The complaint describes how Trident redlined majority-minority neighborhoods in the Philadelphia MSA and actively discouraged applications from the people living in those neighborhoods. Trident’s self-defined market areas included majority-minority neighborhoods. However, Trident’s application data show it did not serve neighborhoods within its market areas equally. Only 12% of its mortgage loan applications came from majority-minority neighborhoods, even though more than a quarter of neighborhoods in the Philadelphia MSA are majority-minority. Of the mortgage loan applications Trident did receive from applicants in majority-minority neighborhoods, most of the applicants were white. For example, in Philadelphia MSA neighborhoods that were more than 80% minority, more than half of the applications Trident generated were from white applicants.

Trident’s discriminatory actions, alleged by the CFPB and the DOJ, violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Consumer Financial Protection Act. The DOJ also alleged a violation of the Fair Housing Act. Specifically, the government’s investigation uncovered a wide range of problematic conduct by Trident, such as:

  • Distributing racist language and messages about certain neighborhoods: Trident’s loan officers, assistants, and other employees received and distributed e-mails containing racial slurs and racist content. In addition to using racist tropes and terms, communications sent on work e-mails included pejorative content specifically related to real estate properties’ locations and appraisals. The racist content also targeted the people living in majority-minority neighborhoods.
  • Avoiding sending its loan officers to market to majority-minority neighborhoods: Trident’s loan officers worked out of 53 different offices in the Philadelphia MSA, the locations of which were displayed on Trident’s website. Fifty-one of those offices were in majority-white neighborhoods. The other two offices were in neighborhoods with minority groups representing roughly 50% of the population. All 23 offices within the Philadelphia and Camden metropolitan areas that were within Trident’s lending area were in majority-white neighborhoods.
  • Developing marketing campaigns and advertisements that discouraged and ignored minority mortgage loan applicants: For example, between 2015 and May 2018, Trident conducted 15 direct mail marketing campaigns. All the individuals pictured in the campaigns’ marketing materials—both models and Trident employees—appeared to be white. These direct mail marketing campaigns would have discouraged applicants from majority-minority neighborhoods. Additionally, Trident targeted its marketing materials to majority-white neighborhoods. Trident’s open house flyers, for instance, were overwhelmingly concentrated in majority-white neighborhoods, and its online advertisements appeared for home listings overwhelmingly located in majority-white neighborhoods.

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 a stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of

Categories
Kraft Heinz

Kraft Heinz Has Strong Q2 Earnings Growth

Jul. 27, 2022– The Kraft Heinz Company (Nasdaq: KHC) (“Kraft Heinz” or the “Company”) today reported financial results for the second quarter of 2022 that reflected strong price realization and resilient demand.

“We delivered yet another quarter of strong results as we continue to successfully navigate near-term headwinds, enabled by further advancements of our long-term strategy,” said Kraft Heinz CEO and Chair of the Board Miguel Patricio. “Though the environment remains fluid, we are better able to anticipate dynamic conditions, adapt to this constantly changing environment, and demonstrate our resiliency against new challenges. We are anticipating and adapting to changing market conditions while managing inflation through pricing realization and gross efficiencies. I am very proud of the Kraft Heinz team because, despite all of the challenges, employees across the organization continue to do a tremendous job.”

Net Sales

In millions

Net Sales

Organic Net Sales(1) Growth

June 25, 2022

June 26, 2021

% Chg vs
PY

YoY Growth
Rate

Price

Volume/Mix

For the Three Months Ended

North America

$

5,039

$

5,202

(3.1)%

9.8%

13.1 pp

(3.3) pp

International

1,515

1,413

7.2%

11.0%

10.3 pp

0.7 pp

Kraft Heinz

$

6,554

$

6,615

(0.9)%

10.1%

12.4 pp

(2.3) pp

For the Six Months Ended

North America

$

9,640

$

10,202

(5.5)%

8.4%

11.2 pp

(2.8) pp

International

2,959

2,807

5.4%

8.8%

9.3 pp

(0.5) pp

Kraft Heinz

$

12,599

$

13,009

(3.2)%

8.5%

10.8 pp

(2.3) pp

Net Income/(Loss) and Diluted EPS

In millions, except per share data

For the Three Months Ended

For the Six Months Ended

June 25, 2022

June 26, 2021

% Chg vs
PY

June 25, 2022

June 26, 2021

% Chg vs
PY

Gross profit

$

1,984

$

2,291

(13.4)%

$

3,915

$

4,492

(12.8)%

Operating income/(loss)

542

1,235

(56.2)%

1,657

2,324

(28.7)%

Net income/(loss)

265

(25)

1,136.4%

1,046

543

92.7%

Net income/(loss) attributable to common shareholders

265

(27)

1,051.7%

1,041

536

94.3%

Diluted EPS

$

0.21

$

(0.02)

1,150.0%

$

0.84

$

0.43

95.3%

Adjusted EPS(1)

0.70

0.78

(10.3)%

1.30

1.50

(13.3)%

Adjusted EBITDA(1)

$

1,520

$

1,706

(10.9)%

$

2,862

$

3,286

(12.9)%

Q2 2022 Financial Summary

  • Net sales decreased 0.9 percent versus the year-ago period to $6.6 billion, including a negative 9.3 percentage point impact from divestitures net of acquisitions and a negative 1.7 percentage point impact from currency. Organic Net Sales(1) increased 10.1 percent versus the prior year period. Pricing was up 12.4 percentage points versus the prior year period with growth in both reportable segments that was primarily driven by price increases to mitigate rising input costs. Volume/mix declined 2.3 percentage points versus the year-ago period reflecting continued strong demand in retail and foodservice channels that was offset by supply constraints and elasticity impacts from pricing actions. On a segment level, unfavorable volume/mix in the North America segment more than offset favorable volume/mix in the International segment.
  • Net income/(loss) increased 1,136.4 percent versus the year-ago period to $265 million primarily driven by lower tax expenses in the current year period, lower interest expense primarily due to debt extinguishment costs in the prior year period, and favorable changes in other expense/(income). These factors were partially offset by higher non-cash impairment losses and lower Adjusted EBITDA versus the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA(1) decreased 10.9 percent versus the year-ago period to $1.5 billion with performance including an unfavorable impact from divestitures of 5.9 percentage points and an unfavorable 1.1 percentage point impact from currency. The remaining year-over-year decrease in Adjusted EBITDA is a result of higher pricing and efficiency gains that were offset by higher commodity costs (primarily in dairy, packaging materials, soybean and vegetable oils, and meat) and supply chain costs (reflecting inflationary pressure in procurement, logistics and manufacturing costs), as well as unfavorable volume/mix. Results continue to reflect the difference in timing between inflationary pressures and the mitigating actions we have taken.
  • Diluted EPS was $0.21, up 1,150.0 percent versus the prior year period, driven by the net income/(loss) factors discussed above. Adjusted EPS(1) was $0.70, down 10.3 percent versus the prior year period, primarily driven by lower Adjusted EBITDA, including a negative $0.07 impact from divestitures, and higher taxes on adjusted earnings. These factors more than offset lower interest expense and favorable changes in other expense/(income) versus the prior year period.
  • Year-to-date net cash provided by operating activities was $788 million, down 61.2 percent versus the year-ago period, primarily driven by higher cash tax payments on divestitures in 2022 related to the Cheese Transaction, higher cash outflows for inventories primarily related to stock rebuilding and increased input costs, and lower Adjusted EBITDA. These impacts were partially offset by lower cash outflows for interest primarily due to prior year reduction of long-term debt, and lower cash outflows for variable compensation in 2022 compared to 2021. Year-to date Free Cash Flow(1) was $353 million, down 78.0 percent versus the comparable prior year period due to the same drivers of net cash provided by operating activities.

Outlook

The Company continues to expect strong financial performance in 2022. The Company is raising expectations for 2022 Organic Net Sales(2) to a high-single-digit percentage increase versus the prior year period, as compared to previous expectations of a mid-single-digit percentage increase, reflecting strong performance to date and ongoing business momentum. The Company continues to expect 2022 Adjusted EBITDA(2) to be in the range of $5.8 billion to $6.0 billion, with a 45 percent to 55 percent third quarter to fourth quarter split. This full year Adjusted EBITDA outlook reflects a 53rd week in 2022, an increase in foreign currency headwinds based on current exchange rates, the impact of divestitures versus the prior year, strong Organic Net Sales, as well as the Company’s ongoing efforts to manage inflationary pressures, including unlocking gross efficiencies, as it continues to invest in long-term growth.

Categories
Clayton Homes

Berkshire’s Clayton is Building Affordable Homes in Denver

Berkshire Hathaway’s Clayton Homes’ subsidiary, Oakwood Homes, has listed 96 single-family homes for sale at Green Valley Ranch, one of the fastest-growing communities in metro Denver.

On2 Homes, Oakwood Homes’ newest brand, is offering four distinct floor plans, with two-and-three-bedroom options available to prospective buyers. With a starting listing price in the low $300’s, On2 Homes’ prices start at half the median cost of a single-family home in metro Denver, now more than $600,000.

“Our customers have been stuck,” said Kristen Nelson, president of the On2 Homes division for Oakwood Homes. “They want to get their foot in the door of the Denver housing market, but steep entry prices keep them trapped in the renting cycle. With On2 Homes, we’re launching a product that delivers the quality of a traditional single-family home at a uniquely affordable price point.”

The affordability of On2 homes is driven by an innovative approach that merges off-site and site-built construction and supply processes, resulting in decreased build time and cost for homeowners. This method also demonstrates Oakwood Homes continued success in making homes constructed with off-site-built and site-built practices indistinguishable from one another.

Built in an off-site home building facility, On2 offers cost-effective, energy-efficient and high-quality homes at a fraction of the cost of site-building. At off-site design centers, On2 Homes uses precision-building techniques to maximize cost, speed and energy efficiency without compromising quality. With unique design features like EnergySmart® utility systems and weather proofing, On2’s single-family homes deliver high quality finishes at a price accessible to more Coloradans. Oakwood guarantees every On2 homebuyer full ownership over their property’s land rights – an increasingly rare opportunity in today’s housing market.

In 2021, metro Denver experienced a 19.3% year-over-year increase in the median listing price of a single-family home. With single-family starter homes beginning at more than $600,000, many Denver residents find themselves priced out of the housing market. With On2 Homes, Oakwood hopes to address Denver’s shortage of affordable single-family homes, expanding the possibility of homeownership to all the city’s residents.

As of December, Colorado has the fourth worst housing shortage in the United States. To keep pace with population gains, the state needs to build 54,000 new housing units annually over the next five years. Much of this burden falls on the homebuilding and construction industry. By utilizing efficiencies found in off-site home building and modular construction, the homebuilding industry can help answer the demand for affordable housing.

© 2022 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 a 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.

Categories
Lessons From Warren Buffett

Lessons From Warren Buffett: This Is the Best Time to Start Saving

Is there a best time to start saving? Warren Buffett says there definitely is.

“Any money you save before you get out and start having a family … any dollar is probably worth $10 later on simply because you can save it,” Warren Buffett said at the 1998 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting. “The time to save is young, and you’ll never have a better time to save than really, pre-formation of a family. Because the expenditures come along then whether you like them or not.”

Buffett’s full explanation on the best time to start saving


See the complete Lessons From Warren Buffett series

© 2022 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.