Posts for Ticker ‘BNI’

The More Focused, and More Opaque, Buffett & Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B, BNI, UNP, NSC, GS, GE, TIF, HOG, WMT, COP, XOM, WFC, RSG, DOW, ETN, WBC, MCO, WLP, UNH, GSK, SNY, GCI, WPO)

This was an important week for investment guru and billionaire watchers to see which gurus were holding which stocks.  The full public equity holdings of Warren Buffett via Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) were particularly of note, particularly with those B shares under “BRK-B” soon to split and giving a chance for even the less astute ranks of Joe Public to own a piece of the Berkshire dream.  Obviously the huge change is via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. (NYSE: BNI) buyout.  As part of this deal, Buffett is exiting Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) and exiting Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC) stakes of about $600 million and $100 million, respectively, to avoid duplication and internal competition.  The rail transport play now accounts for about one-quarter of the total Berkshire Hathaway entity upon closing. But the less obvious position in that Warren Buffett in 2009 has made it clear that there will be a simpler and probably less “stock-hound” version of Berkshire Hathaway ahead.

Buffett has gone higher up the food chain and is likely to be a creditor now inside or to large institutions.  We have seen this during the crisis.  Buffett negotiated a better deal for Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) than the US Government was able to get.  Buffett’s preferred stock in Goldman Sachs has a dividend of 10% and is callable at any time at a 10% premium; but Buffett also got warrants to purchase $5 billion of common stock with a strike price of $115.00 per share, exercisable for a five-year term (4 years now), and Buffett would effectively get to pocket $61 per share if he exercised those all today at the market (and with a $2.6 billion warrant profit alone).

The General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) stake was listed only as 7.77 million shares of common stock (about $125 million now), the same as it has been for quarters.  Yet last year Buffett came to the rescue with a $3 billion of perpetual preferred stock in a private offering with a dividend of 10% and warrants to purchase $3 billion of common stock.  The preferred is callable after 3-years (2 years now) at a 10% premium; the warrants have a strike price of $22.25 and are exercisable for a five-year term (4 years now).
Read More »

Posted on: November 19, 2009 – 8:59 am in Activist Investor, Bonds, Buffett, Conglomerates, Dividend, Editor's Picks, Infrastructure, Large Cap Stocks, Mergers and Buy Outs, Oil & Gas, Private Equity, Transports, Value Investing, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Buffett & Berkshire Hathaway Q3-2009 Holdings A to F (BRK-A, AXP, BAC, BDX, BNI, KMX, KO, CMCSA, CDCO, COP, COST, XOM, ETN)

BuffettImage gates foundation Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A)(BRK-B) has shown its Q3-2009 holdings as of September 30, 2009.  We had already seen how his securities holdings were up on the books in the holdings with earnings.  There are also some portfolio changes that have taken place since the September 30 cut-off date.  These have been broken down into 3 groups of ‘A to F’ and ‘G to O’ and ‘P to Z’ so it is more concise and clear.  Here are Warren Buffett’s holdings and accompanying notes for the group ‘A ot F.’

  • American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) over 151.6 million shares, same as last quarter.
  • Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) 5 million shares; same as last quarter.
  • Becton Dickinson & Co. (NYSE: BDX) 1.2 million shares, same as last quarter.
  • Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI) was reported as 76.77 million shares but frankly it does not really matter as BNSF is becoming part of Berkshire.
  • Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) 9 million shares is same as last quarter.
  • Coca Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) right at 200 million shares, still same as before.
  • Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) 12 million shares, same as before.
  • Comdisco Holdings (NASDAQ: CDCO) roughly 1.5 million shares, same as before.
  • ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) 57.43 million shares, DOWN FROM 62.485 million at the end of June.
  • Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) 5.254 million shares, same as before.
  • Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) is a NEW HOLDING of 1.276 million shares.

Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) was NOT LISTED ANY LONGER, so sold from holdings.

BUFFETT HOLDINGS G to O

BUFFETT HOLDINGS P to Z

You can join our open email distribution list to hear more news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, key analyst calls, and more.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: November 16, 2009 – 4:33 pm in Activist Investor, Buffett, Buffett Holdings, Conglomerates, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades, Initiations (BRCD, BNI, COH, CHK, CSX, HOG, KWK, MBT, NDAQ, SIRI)

These are this Thursday’s top early analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations from Wall Street research calls which may be moving shares of the underlying stocks:

Brocade Communications (NASDAQ: BRCD) Cut to Neutral at Piper Jaffray; Cut to Hold at ThinkEquity; Cut to Hold at Lazard.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI) Cut to Underweight at Barclays.
Coach Inc. (NYSE: COH) Started as Hold at KeyBanc.
Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) Started as Buy at Lazard.
CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) Raised to Equal-Weight at Barclays.
Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) Started as Underweight at KeyBanc.
Quicksilver Resources Inc. (NYSE: KWK) Started as Buy at Lazard.
Mobile TeleSystems (NYSE: MBT) Raised to Buy at UBS.
NASDAQ OMX Group (NASDAQ: NDAQ) Raised to Positive at Susquehanna.
SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRI) put on positive credit watch at S&P late yesterday during trading hours.

You can join our open email distribution list which goes out several times per week to be notified of key analyst calls, top early morning day trader alerts, along with news of IPO’s, key offerings, guru investor data on Buffett and others, key merger news, and more.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: November 12, 2009 – 7:52 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 11/10/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   Markets hit their 2009 highs.

Reuters:   Dodd is set to unveil his financial reform bill which calls for merging many bank regulators.

Reuters:   Kraft’s (NYSE:KFT) bid for Cadbury turned hostile.

Reuters:   A survey of economists predicted strong GDP growth in 2010. Read More »

Posted on: November 10, 2009 – 3:57 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Buffett & Berkshire Earn Dough (BRK-A, BRK-B, BNI, MCO)

buffettimage-gates-foundationWarren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) has just reported its Q3-2009 earnings ahead of the formal expectations.  This will be perhaps one of the last similar earnings reports with a relative comparisons because of its recent acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI).  The ongoing selling of Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO) will be very limited in comparison to what change the railroad addition will make.

We were expecting the insurance operations to have a stellar quarter because there were no real storms that made landfall this year in hurricane season.  Thomson Reuters figures are hard to rely upon because of two issues.  There are very few ‘official estimates’ and there are many items inside the Berkshire Hathaway earnings that Buffett includes outside of what other companies include.  The consensus estimates was listed as $1,308.25 per share, but that is again a difficult number to use as a formal estimate.  Net earnings per share was $2,087 and operating earnings were $1,325 per share.  The key metrics are what we want to focus on today.

Read More »

Posted on: November 6, 2009 – 5:10 pm in Banking, Buffett, Conglomerates, Earnings, , , ,

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades, Downgrades, Initiations (AEO, BNI, ENR, GET, GES, GD, STEC, VIA, YUM)

These are this Wednesday’s top ten analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls:

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE: AEO) Raised to Top Picks at FBR Capital; but shares were also Cut to Hold at Lazard.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI) Cut to Neutral at JPMorgan; Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Energizer Holdings (NYSE: ENR) Cut to Neutral from Conviction Buy List at Goldman Sachs.
Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET) Raised to Market Perform at both FBR and at Wells Fargo.
Guess? Inc. (NYSE: GES) Cut to Hold at Lazard.
General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) Raised to Outperform at Credit Suisse.
STEC, Inc. (NASDAQ: STEC) Cut to Perform at Oppenheimer; Cut to Source of Funds at ThinkEquity.
Viacom (NYSE: VIA) Raised to Outperform at Oppenheimer.
Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) Started as Buy at Janney Montgomery.

You can join our open email distribution list to get updates on top analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader alerts, IPO’s, secondary offerings, Warren Buffett and other guru activity, M&A and more.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: November 4, 2009 – 8:09 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , ,

Media Digest 11/4/2009 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

newspaperReuters:   Opel must now arrange for GM’s unexpected ownership

Reuters:   The Fed will probably keep its “easy money” program.

Reuters:   Toyota (NYSE:TM) will pull out of Formula 1 racing.

Reuters:   The IEA will cut its long-term oil demand outlook. Read More »

Posted on: November 4, 2009 – 5:34 am in Press Digest, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Return Of Wheeling And Dealing (BRK.A)(BNI)(KFT)

houseKraft (NYSE:KFT) hinted very strongly that it would open a battle with Cadbury for ownership of the British company. GM said it would keep its Opel and Vauxhall European operations about an hour later. The news of those transactions ended a day in which Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.A) announced its largest investment ever. Mr. Buffett’s company will buy the 77.4% of Burlington Northern (NYSE:BNI) that it does not own at a tremendous premium which carries a total price tag of over $26 billion.

All of that in less than 24 hours. Read More »

Posted on: November 4, 2009 – 4:58 am in Mergers and Buy Outs, , ,

52-Week High Club

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp (NYSE: BNI) surged close to 30% to a yearly high of $97.59 following news that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) will be buying the freight rail operator for $100 per share, which places the value of the company at $44 billion.

The Black & Decker Corporation (NYSE: BDK) rallied close to 30% to a yearly high of $61.79  following news that the tool makers has agreed to be purchased by Stanley Works (NYSE: SWK) in an all stock deal valued at $4.5 billion.

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp (NASDAQ: CTSH) rose over 8% to a yearly high of $42.40.  The computer services and technology consulting company announced that its 3Q 09 profit rose roughly 21%, beating analyst estimates.  The company also raised its 2009 profit estimate to $1.88 per share from $1.78 per share.

Landry’s Restaurants (NYSE: LNY) rose over 25% to a yearly high of $13.99.  The restaurant, hospitality and entertainment company following rose on news that the company’s chief executive, Timothy J. Fertitta has agreed to purchase the company for $14.75 per share, or $1.2 billion.

Garrett W. McIntyre

Posted on: November 3, 2009 – 4:03 pm in Buffett, Consumer Goods, Earnings, Food, Hardware, Mergers and Buy Outs, Technology Companies, , , , , , ,

Buffett Makes His Whale of an Acquisition (BRK-A, BRK-B, BNI, UNP)

BuffettImage gates foundationWe always knew that Warren Buffett loved the railroad stocks.  We also had for years heard Buffett talk about the prospects of a “whale of a deal” in large acquisitions. And now this morning he is showing just how much.  Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) is acquiring Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE: BNI).  The terms call for $100.00 per share in cash and stock, well above the $76.07 closing bell price yesterday.  Buffett already had a huge stake of 76.77 million shares, so he is buying the 77.4% stake he does not already own.  It turns out that Warren is finally doing his whale of a deal.  The transaction is valued at about $44 billion, if you include $10 billion of outstanding BNI debt.  That makes this the largest transaction in Berkshire Hathaway history.

Read More »

Posted on: November 3, 2009 – 7:45 am in Buffett, Mergers and Buy Outs, Transports, , , ,

Transports Seeing Mixed Show on FedEx Guidance Hike (FDX, UPS, UNP, CSX, YRCW, NSC, KSU, BNI, JBHT, CNW, LSTR)

FedEx Logo PicWe just noticed over at our volume spike alert service that FedEx Corporation (NYSE: FDX) was already challenging 150% of its average volume and was triple volume what it normally has traded by this time of the morning. This was really ramping up rival United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE: UPS) with a 4% gain, and was taking up lesser players in the space as well.  But interestingly enough, this is not doing anything to boost the trading volume in railroad stocks. Railroad giants like Union Union Pacific Corp. (NYSE: UNP) and CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) are even lower on the day.  YRC Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: YRCW) is up significantly, and most truckers are up in sympathy.
Read More »

Posted on: September 11, 2009 – 11:33 am in Consumer Goods, Trading Alert, Transports, , , , , , , , , , ,

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AMED, BNI, CMCSA, CSX, DCP, FISV, GMR, HLS, STJ, TWC)

These are ten of the top pre-market analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiation calls we have seen from Wall Street early this Wednesday morning with close to two hours until the market opens:

Amedisys (AMED) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI) Started as Outperform at Baird.
Comcast (CMCSA) Started as Overweight at JPMOrgan.
CSX (CSX) Started as Outperform at Baird.
Dyncorp (DCP) Started as Buy at SunTrust.
Fiserv (FISV) Started as Buy at Citigroup.
General Maritime Corp. (GMR) Raised to Outperform at FBR.
HealthSouth Corp. (HLS) Started as Outperform at Baird.
St. Jude Medical (STJ) Raised to Outperform at Wells Fargo.
Time Warner Cable (TWC) Started as Overweight at JPMorgan.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: August 26, 2009 – 7:45 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , , , ,

Buffett & Berkshire Hathaway Q2-2009 Holdings A to F (BRK-A, AXP, BAC, BDX, BNI, KMX, KO, CMCSA, CDCO, COP, COST, ETN, CEG)

Buffett ImageBerkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A)(BRK-B) has shown its Q2-2009  holdings as of June 30, 2009.  There are some portfolio changes that have been seen here from the end of Q1 and we have broken these down into 3 groups of ‘A to F’ and  ‘G to O’ and ‘P to Z’ so these are easier to see on one page.  Here are Warren Buffett’s holdings and accompanying notes for the group ‘A ot F.’

  • American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) over 151.6 million shares, same as  before.
  • Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) 5 million shares; same as last quarter.
  • Becton Dickinson & Co. (NYSE: BDX) appears to b a new holding over last quarter according to our records.  Berkshire holds 1.2 million shares (listed in SEC filing as Beckton Dickson).
  • Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI) 76.77 million shares; same as Q1 after the Q1 position was raised from Q4.
  • Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) 9 million shares is lower than the 12 million in Q1 and marks three straight quarters of declines.
  • Coca Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) right at 200 million shares, still has stayed the same as before.
  • Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) 12 million shares, same as before.
  • Comdisco Holdings (NASDAQ: CDCO) roughly 1.5 million shares, same as before.
  • ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) was listed as 62.485 million, which is officially lower than the Q1 period but we had already been told of cuts after that date so mostly the same.
  • Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) 5.254 million shares, same as before.
  • Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) 3.2 million shares; looks like new holding but may have been missed before.
  • Constellation Energy Group (NYSE: CEG) appears to be completely sold off now.,but this was already being cut.

BUFFETT HOLDINGS G o O

BUFFETT HOLDINGS P to Z

You can join our open email distribution list to hear more news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, key analyst calls, and more.

JON C. OGG
AUGUST 14, 2009

Posted on: August 14, 2009 – 4:45 pm in Buffett, Buffett Holdings, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CSX Rises, But Shows Why Warren Buffett Is Worried on Rails (CSX, BNI, NSC, UNP, BRK-A)

Buffett ImageCSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) is showing exactly why Warren Buffett has been so pessimistic lately. Q2 2009 earnings were $308 million or $0.78 EPS.  This is down from $385 million, or $0.93 EPS, a year ago.  If you exclude discontinued operations related to the Greenbrier Resort, the earnings on a comparable basis were $0.72 EPS compared to $0.95 a year ago. While this is not as bad as some expected, there is a continued erosion as CSX said railroad freight volume is expected to fall by double-digit percentage rates in Q3.  The only comfort is that the target is set lower than the 21% decline seen in Q2.  As Warren Buffet and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) are huge railroad investors (but not in CSX), and as he uses this rail freight traffic as a leading indicator, this has an impact on Buffett’s other railroad stocks of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI), Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC), and Union Pacific Corp. (NYSE: UNP).
Read More »

Posted on: July 14, 2009 – 9:07 am in Buffett, Earnings, Transports, , , , ,

The Unusual Suspects (X, BRK-A, BNI, NFLD, INTC, WIND, AAPL, PALM, NVAX)

newspaperThere were several unusual occurrences at the end of the week and some we saw over the weekend screenings for items missed during the week.  These will also be among some of the top issues for Monday and Tuesday of this week:

Read More »

Posted on: June 7, 2009 – 6:31 am in Trading Alert, , , , , , , , ,

Buffett & Berkshire Hathaway Q1-2009 Holdings A to F (BRK-A, AXP, BAC, BNI, KMX, KO, CMCSA, CDCO, COP, CEG, COST, ETN)

Buffett ImageWe have just gotten the Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A)(BRK-B) holdings for the end of Q1-2009.  The cut off date here was March 31, 2009 and there are some changes that have been seen here from the e3nd of Q4.  We have broken these down into 3 groups of ‘A to F’ and  ‘G to O’ and ‘P to Z’ so these fit on one page easier.  Here is the list ‘A ot F.’

  • American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) over 151.6 million shares, same as  before.
  • Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) 5 million shares; same as last quarter.
  • Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI) 76.77 million shares; HIGHER than 70.089 million shares of last quarter.
  • Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) 12 million shares; LOWER than the 17.63 million and that is two straight quarters of declines.
  • Coca Cola (NYSE: KO) right at 200 million shares, still same as before.
  • Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) 12 million shares, same as before.
  • Comdisco Holdings (NASDAQ: CDCO) roughly 1.5 million shares, same as before.
  • ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is really lower than the 71.228 million reported as this has been used for cutting taxes, and we already know that the number is lower than what the filing says.
  • Constellation Energy Group (NYSE: CEG) was just updated this week so the number is actually about 12.4 million rather than what the filing shows as being 14.828 million shares.
  • Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) 5.254 million shares, same as before.
  • Eaton Corp. (NYSE: ETN) 3.2 million shares; looks like new holding but may have been missed before.

Here is the full list of Buffett holdings “G to O”

Here is the full list of Buffett holdings “P to Z”

Jon C. Ogg
May 15, 2009

Posted on: May 15, 2009 – 4:06 pm in Activist Investor, Banking, Buffett, Buffett Holdings, Conglomerates, Insider Activity, Mutual Funds, Value Investing, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Buffett & Berkshire Primer Ahead of Annual Meeting (BRK-A, BRK-B, BNI, USG, TIF, HOG)

buffett-imageThis weekend will mark the annual shareholder meeting for Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B).  In the past, this has been considered the Financial Woodstock.  But this is a much different year.  Berkshire Hathaway shares sit down more than one-third from their highs.  They had been down more than 50% at the major lows.  The day’s close ahead of Berkshire’s last annual meeting was $133,600.00 and those sit around $93,000.00 around noon today.
Read More »

Posted on: May 1, 2009 – 12:38 pm in Annual Report, Buffett, Conglomerates, , , , , ,

Top Analyst Downgrades (BJS, BUCY, BNI, INTU, JOYG,PBR, TKC, WFMI)

These are some of the top pre-market analyst downgrades we have seen early this Monday morning from Wall Street:

BJ Services (BJS) Cut to Market Perform at Wachovia.
Bucyrus (BUCY) Cut to Neutral at Baird.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI) Cut to Sell at Citigroup.
Intuit (INTU) Cut to Hold at Jefferies.
Joy Global (JOYG) Cut to Neutral at Baird.
Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR) Cut to Neutral at HSBC.
Turkcell (TKC) Cut to Neutral at UBS.
Whole Foods (WFMI) Cut to Sell at UBS.

JON C. OGG

Posted on: April 27, 2009 – 6:47 am in Analyst Calls, , , , , , , ,

The Fallacy of Buffett Takeover Lists (BRK-A, SYY, VFC, DHR, BNI, WFC, COP)

buffett-image2It seems that there is renewed interest in a Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) acquisition strategy for another large takeover.  This has always been on the table, and as we noted in the most recent annual report, Buffett has mentioned an interest.  He even laid out a set of criteria.  But the new list of companies that is being passed around as a potential target list actually is based upon the current numbers rather than on many of these actually being legitimate targets.
Read More »

Posted on: March 20, 2009 – 9:09 am in Buffett, Conglomerates, Mergers and Buy Outs, , , , , , ,

Transportation Stocks Set To Double (CAL, ITWO, KSU, OSG, R)

money-stack-image34Over the past week 24/7 Wall St. has picked several stocks from major sectors that are likely to double off of their lows.  This group focuses on the transportation sector with the picks being Continental Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: CAL), i2 Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITWO), Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU), Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. (NYSE: OSG), and Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R).

We have more details on why we like these over peers, but there are several suppositions in our opinions here. The time frame is by the end of 2010, which is meant to coincide with some form of economic recovery next year.  A number of the credit and financial issues facing the markets will be in place for the near-term or longer.  The other assumption used for choosing the stocks is a market bottom of roughly 600 on the S&P 500.  Unfortunately, there is also the added risk of energy costs and now a new emissions “cap-and-trade” tax to consider.
Read More »

Posted on: March 17, 2009 – 4:45 am in Transports, Value Investing, , , , , , , , , , ,