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 Net income for the Omaha, Nebraska-based insurance and investment
company fell to $4.01 billion, or $2,442 per Class A share, from
$6.4 billion, or $3,889 per share, a year earlier.
Operating profit dropped well below analysts' forecasts, declining
10 percent to $3.89 billion, or $2,367 per share, from $4.33
billion, or $2,634 per share, despite improvements at the BNSF
railroad and Berkshire Hathaway Energy units.
Analysts on average expected operating profit of about $3,038 per
share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue rose 3 percent to $51.37 billion. Book value per share,
Buffett's preferred measure of growth, rose 2 percent from the end
of March to $149,735.
Net investment and derivative gains plummeted 94 percent to $123
million from $2.06 billion a year earlier, when Berkshire shed its
40-year stake in former Washington Post publisher Graham Holdings Co
<GHC.N>.
The most recent quarter included losses on contracts betting on
long-term gains in major stock market indexes.
Accounting rules require Berkshire to report investment and
derivative gains and losses with earnings. Buffett considers the
amounts in any given quarter irrelevant, and not reflective of
Berkshire's business performance.
GEICO WEAKENS
Earnings from insurance, Berkshire's best-known operating sector,
fell 39 percent to $939 million, and included a $38 million
underwriting loss versus a year-earlier $411 million profit.
Much of that weakness stemmed from the Geico car insurance unit. Its
pretax underwriting gain fell 87 percent to $53 million, as it paid
out more of the premiums it collected to cover losses from
accidents. Berkshire is boosting premium rates as a result.
Meanwhile, a Berkshire business that insures against major
catastrophes suffered a $411 million pretax underwriting loss,
reflecting currency fluctuations and a storm loss in Australia.
Berkshire has been paring back in some insurance areas, particularly
reinsurance, as new investors enter the industry, reducing the
premiums that Berkshire can charge.
"Everyone is chasing the business," said Jeff Matthews, a principal
at the hedge fund Ram Partners.
"Outside of insurance," he added, "things look fine."
[to top of second column] |
KRAFT HEINZ
Profit from BNSF rose 5 percent to $963 million as improved
operating performance offset lower demand to ship petroleum
products, reflecting lower crude oil prices, and fertilizer.
Berkshire Hathaway Energy, a utility mostly owned by Berkshire, saw
profit rise 34 percent to $502 million, helped by higher retail
rates and a lower income tax rate.
Berkshire has more than 80 operating businesses in such sectors as
insurance, energy, food, industrial products and railroads.
As of June 30 it also owned $117.7 billion of stocks such as Wells
Fargo & Co <WFC.N> and Coca-Cola Co <KO.N>. It bought $3.09 billion
of equities in the quarter, without identifying the companies.
The company estimated it will take a $7 billion non-cash pretax gain
in the third quarter related to its 26.9 percent stake in Kraft
Heinz Co <KHC.O>.
Berkshire took that stake in early July after backing the purchase
of Kraft Foods Group Inc by H.J. Heinz Co, which Berkshire and
Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital acquired in 2013.
The stake is worth about $25.5 billion, more than double what
Buffett has said was Berkshire's $9.5 billion investment.
Berkshire has the ability to make more big acquisitions, having
ended the quarter with $66.59 billion of cash.
The company also has dozens of smaller businesses that sell, among
other things, Benjamin Moore paint, Borsheim's jewelry, Dairy Queen
ice cream, Fruit of the Loom underwear, Johns Manville insulation
and See's candies.
On Friday, Berkshire Class A shares closed down $187.24 at
$215,462.76, and its Class B shares rose 20 cents to $143.55. The
shares are about 6 percent below their record highs set on Dec. 8.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Jennifer Ablan in New York;
Editing by Richard Chang)
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