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Top Analyst Upgrades & Downgrades (AKS, AU, FTE, GGP, HON, LAZ, PNW, GOLD, TEF, TEVA, TMK, UNFI, URI, MTN, WCG)

Administrator — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 13:23:47 +0000

These are some of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations seen from Wall Street research calls this Monday morning.

AK Steel Holding Corporation (NYSE: AKS) Raised to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo.
AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (NYSE: AU) Cut to Sell from Neutral by Goldman Sachs.

France Telecom S.A. (NYSE: FTE) Cut to Underperform as Bear of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.
General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP) Cut to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Honeywell International Inc. (NYSE: HON) Raised to Outperform as Bull of the Day at Zacks Investment Research.

Lazard Ltd. (NYSE: LAZ) Raised to Outperform from Neutral at Credit Suisse.
Pinnacle West Capital Corporation (NYSE: PNW) Cut to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse.
Randgold Resources Limited (NASDAQ: GOLD) Cut to Sell from Neutral at Goldman Sachs.
Telefonica, S.A. (NYSE: TEF) Cut to Neutral from Overweight at HSBC.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NASDAQ: TEVA) Reiterated Buy with $52 target at Canaccord Genuity.
Torchmark Corp. (NYSE: TMK) Raised to Neutral from Underperform at Credit Suisse.
United Natural Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: UNFI) Raised to Buy from Hold at Canaccord Genuity.
United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE: URI) Raised to Top Pick at RBC.
Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN) Started as Outperform at Credit Suisse.
WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) named as value stock of the day at Zacks Investment Research.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Analyst Calls Tagged: AKS, AU, FTE, GGP, gold, HON, LAZ, MTN, PNW, TEF, TEVA, TMK, UNFI, URI, WCG

Berkshire Hathaway & Buffett’s Stock Holdings ‘L to Z’ (BRK-B, BRK-A, MA, MTB, MCO, PG, SNY, TMK, USB, USG, UPS, VRSK, V, WMT, WPO, WFC)

Administrator — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:08:08 +0000

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B, BRK-A) and Warren Buffett have just released the latest holdings of U.S.-listed equities as of September 30, 2011 and this is the second group of ‘L to Z’ in the public equities. We have included some accompanying notes on each. Keep in mind that Todd Combs is a new portfolio manager and his new positions were given ‘special exemptions’ from being disclosed last quarter.

M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE: MTB) is 5.38+ million shares, UP ONLY A TAD from the 5.363 million last quarter but this one had been cut in prior quarters.
Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) was 405,000 shares valued at $128.45 million. The position is the SAME AS last quarter but still almost double from the quarter before.
Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO) was 28.4 million; SAME AS last quarter but way down from prior quarters and years.
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) was 76.7 million shares and listed as THE SAME as last quarter but lower than the 96.3 million shares in prior quarters.
Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) was 4.06 million shares; SAME AS before.
Torchmark Corp. (NYSE: TMK) was more than 4.2 million, a LARGER POSITION than the 2.82 million shares last quarter.
US Bancorp (NYSE: USB) was roughly 69 million shares; SAME AS before.
USG Corp. (NYSE: USG) was 17.072 million shares; SAME AS before.
United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) was 1.429 million shares; SAME AS before.
Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSK) was ALMOST DOUBLE in shares at 4.202 million worth $146.1 million versus the 2,101,125 shares a quarter before when it had been started as a new position.
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a NEW POSITION of 2.291 million shares worth $96.44 million.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) was just over 39 million shares; SAME AS before after having been raised in 2010.
Washington Post (NYSE: WPO) was over 1.72 million shares; SAME AS before and Buffett kept his word so far about holding the Washington Post shares despite stepping down from its board.
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) over 361 million shares a HIGHER POSITION than the 352+ million last quarter.

PAGE ONE…BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘A to K’

As noted earlier… today’s holding disclosure has missing data as Berkshire Hathaway was given permission and likely still does not include the full holdings: Confidential information has been omitted from the Form 13F and filed separately with the Commission.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Activist Investor, Buffett, Mutual Funds Tagged: BRK-A, BRK-B, MA, MCO, MTB, PG, SNY, TMK, UPS, USB, USG, V, VRSK, WFC, WMT, WPO

Berkshire Hathaway & Buffett’s Stock Holdings ‘M to Z’ (BRK-B, BRK-A, MA, MTB, MCO, PG, SNY, TMK, USB, USG, UPS, VRSK, WMT, WPO, WFC)

Administrator — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:45:31 +0000

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B, BRK-A) and Warren Buffett have just released the latest holdings of U.S.-listed equities as of June 30, 2011 and this is the second group of ‘M to Z’ in the public equities. We have included some accompanying notes on each. Keep in mind that Todd Combs is a new portfolio manager and his new positions were given ‘special exemptions’ from being disclosed last quarter.

Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) was 405,000 shares, ALMOST DOUBLE from the 216,000 shares last quarter as a prior new position. Now valued at $122 million.
M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE: MTB) is 5.363 million, SAME AS before but had been cut in prior quarters.
Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO) was 28.4 million; SAME AS last quarter but this is down from prior reports as Moody’s is slowly getting cut.
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) was 76.7 million shares; SAME AS last quarter but lower than the 96.3 million shares in prior quarters.
Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) was 4.06 million shares; SAME AS before.
Torchmark Corp. (NYSE: TMK) was 2.82 million shares; SAME AS before.
US Bancorp (NYSE: USB) was roughly 69 million shares; SAME AS before.
USG Corp. (NYSE: USG) was 17.072 million shares; SAME AS before.
United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) was 1.429 million shares; SAME AS before.
Verisk Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSK) was 2,101,125 shares, a NEW POSITION listed as $72.7 million as of June 30.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) was just over 39 million shares; SAME AS before after having been raised in 2010.
Washington Post (NYSE: WPO) was over 1.72 million shares; SAME AS before and Buffett kept his word so far about holding the Washington Post shares despite stepping down from its board.
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) was over 368.6 million; this one GREW AGAIN from the 358.9 million shares at March 31, 2011; was listed as over 342 Million shares one quarter earlier and over 336.4 million two quarters before that.

PAGE ONE…BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘A to L’

As noted earlier… today’s holding disclosure has missing data as Berkshire Hathaway was given permission and likely still does not include the full holdings: Confidential information has been omitted from the Form 13F and filed separately with the Commission.

Wesco Financial Corp. (NYSE: WSC) was not listed but that is because it was acquired by Berkshire.

You are invited to join our free daily email distribution list to hear more news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private placements.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Activist Investor, Buffett, Conglomerates Tagged: BRK-A, BRK-B, MA, MCO, MTB, PG, SNY, TMK, UPS, USB, USG, VRSK, WFC, WMT, WPO

Berkshire Hathaway & Buffett’s Stock Holdings ‘M to Z’ (BRK-B, BRK-A, MA, MTB, MCO, PG, SNY, TMK, USB, USG, UPS, WMT, WPO, WFC, WSC)

Administrator — Mon, 16 May 2011 21:05:04 +0000

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B, BRK-A) is out with its new portfolio holdings as of March 31, 2011. These have been broken down into two separate groups of ‘A to L’ and ‘M to Z’ so it is more concise and clear to see the path of changes. Here are Warren Buffett’s holdings and accompanying notes for the group ‘M to Z.’ As a reminder, at the quarterly earnings we did see that the equity balance at March 31 grew to over $61.8 billion from $59.8 billion as of December 31, 2010.

Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) is a brand new position, but a small one at 216,000 shares worth about $54.3 million as of March 31.
M&T Bank Corp. (NYSE: MTB) is 5.363 million, SAME AS BEFORE after having been previously cut.
Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO) is the same 28.4 million as last quarter, but this is down from prior reports as Moody’s is slowly getting cut.
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) had been lowered in a prior period but that has been flat now for two quarters; position is now 76.7 million shares versus 96.3 million shares in prior quarters.
Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) is SAME AS BEFORE at just over 4,06 million shares.
Torchmark Corp. (NYSE: TMK) is SAME AS BEFORE at roughly 2.82 million shares.
US Bancorp (NYSE: USB) is the SAME AS BEFORE at roughly 69 million shares.
USG Corp. (NYSE: USG) SAME AS BEFORE at 17.072 million shares.
United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) SAME AS BEFORE at 1.429 million shares.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) SAME AS BEFORE at just over 39 million shares after having been raised before in 2010.
Washington Post (NYSE: WPO) SAME AS BEFORE at over 1.72 million shares. Buffett kept his word so far about holding the Washington Post shares despite stepping down from its board.
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) grew yet again, but we already knew this after the earnings report. This was listed as more than 358.9 million shares at March 31, 2011. Wells Fargo was listed as over 342 Million shares one quarter earlier and over 336.4 million two quarters ago.
Wesco Financial Corp. (NYSE: WSC) is the same at about 5.7 million shares but it doesn’t really matter as Buffett and Berkshire are trying to acquire the rest of the company.

PAGE ONE…BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘A to L’

Again, today’s holding disclosure feels like a lot is missing as Berkshire Hathaway was given permission to not disclose certain positions (most likely Combs’s new picks). The public equities list are $53.6 billion (plus change) versus the $61.8 billion noted above. The Mastercard Inc. (NYSE: MA) position is the only new position that we are allowed to see and it is too small to be a significant position.

You can join our free daily email distribution list to hear more news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private placements.

JON C. OGG

Filed under: Activist Investor, Buffett, Conglomerates, Insider Activity Tagged: BRK-A, BRK-B, MA, MCO, MTB, PG, SNY, TMK, UPS, USB, USG, WFC, WMT, WPO, WSC

Berkshire Hathaway & Buffett’s Latest Stock Holdings ‘S to Z’ (BRK-B, BRK-A, SNY, TMK, USB, USG, UPS, WMT, WPO, WFC, WSC)

Administrator — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:08:14 +0000

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B, BRK-A) is out with the new portfolio holdings as of December 31, 2010, so these are his new 2011 investments. There were many changes in the prior groups due to a portfolio manager change. These have been broken down into 3 groups of ‘A to I’ and ‘J to R’ and ‘S to Z’ so it is more concise and clear to see the path of changes etc. Here are Warren Buffett’s holdings and accompanying notes for the group ‘S to Z.’

Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) is SAME AS BEFORE at just over 4 million shares.
Torchmark Corp. (NYSE: TMK) is SAME AS BEFORE at roughly 2.82 million shares.
US Bancorp (NYSE: USB) SAME AS BEFORE at roughly 69 million shares.
USG Corp. (NYSE: USG) SAME AS BEFORE at 17.072 million shares.
United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) SAME AS BEFORE at 1.429 million shares.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) SAME AS BEFORE at just over 39 million shares after having been raised before.
Washington Post (NYSE: WPO) SAME AS BEFORE at over 1.72 million shares and Buffett said he was holding shares despite stepping down from its Board of Directors.
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) GREW AGAIN AS A HOLDING to more than 342 Million shares; it was 336.4+ million shares last quarter and has grown in prior quarters.
Wesco Financial Corp. (NYSE: WSC) SAME AS BEFORE at 5.703 million shares, but now BUFFETT IS ACQUIRING THE REST TO TAKE IT PRIVATE.

BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘A to I’

BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘J to R’

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JON C. OGG

Filed under: Activist Investor, Buffett, Conglomerates Tagged: BRK-A, BRK-B, SNY, TMK, UPS, USB, USG, WFC, WMT, WPO, WSC

Buffett’s Least Attractive Investments For 2011 (BRK-A, BRK-B, COP, COST, BDX, FISV, NLC, TMK, USG)

Administrator — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 11:31:59 +0000

Last week we identified the ten Warren Buffett investments with the most implied upside. But we also found that there were many Buffett investments in Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) which may be overvalued.

These positions include ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ: COST), Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE: BDX), Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), Nalco Holding Company (NYSE: NLC), Torchmark Corporation (NYSE: TMK), and USG Corporation (NYSE: USG). A couple of these stocks were above their implied target prices, but some only had upside of 1% to 3%. This compares to Buffett’s largest implied upside picks which had more than a 10% hurdle.

We used the closing price as of December 6 for the analysis. We gave a percentage upside based on how much the stocks had to move to reach the Thomson Reuters consensus price target for a year from now. We reviewed the prospects of each company which includes a brief description of the firms, how the shares have performed versus a 52-week range, and analyzed the dividend yields of each corporation.

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) closed Monday at $64.18, above the oil giant’s consensus price target of $62.81. Buffett kept his stake in the last quarter unchanged but that is after cutting his position over the past several quarters. He has indicated he might sell the stock for tax purposes but he has retained a modest ownership position. Conoco at least offers a 3.4% dividend yield. Buffett admitted that the timing of this investment was wrong, but the good news is that shares are up more than 50% from the lows in 2009.

Costco Wholesale Corporation’s (NASDAQ: COST) stock is one of the few that has consistently risen lately. It almost always trades at a premium over its peers, but that has not undermined its valuation. After a $69.19 close on Monday, shares hit a 52-week high of $69.41. Does it matter then that analysts have a consensus price target of $68.61 a year out? The dividend yield here is only 1.2%. It is worth noting that shares peaked just above of $70.00 in late-2007 and in early 2008 .

Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE: BDX) is the first of several stocks that still have upside but that is so small that it is hardly worth mentioning. Monday’s close for BD was $80.85, and its 52-week trading range is $66.47 to $81.65. The consensus price target for one-year out is $82.23. That implies an upside of only 1.7%, which is below its 2% dividend. The shares still managed to challenge 52-week highs recently. The 52-week trading range is $66.47 to $81.65.

Filed under: Analyst Calls, Buffett, Business Services, Conglomerates, Dividend, Editor's Picks, Financial Stocks, Research, Value Investing Tagged: BDX, BRK-A, BRK-B, COP, COST, FISV, NLC, TMK, USG

Berkshire Hathaway & Buffett’s Latest Stock Holdings ‘S to Z’ (BRK-B, BRK-A, SNY, TMK, USB, USG, UPS, WMT, WPO, WFC, WSC)

Administrator — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:55:11 +0000

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B, BRK-A) has shown its latest holdings as of the close on September 30, 2010. The changes were big on the first two lists but more static on the Third list except for in Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC). These have been broken down into 3 groups of ‘A to G’ and ‘H to R’ and ‘S to Z’ so it is more concise and clear to see the path of changes etc. Here are Warren Buffett’s holdings and accompanying notes for the group ‘S to Z.’

Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE: SNY) is SAME AS BEFORE at just over 4 million shares.
Torchmark Corp. (NYSE: TMK) is SAME AS BEFORE at roughly 2.82 million shares.
US Bancorp (NYSE: USB) SAME AS BEFORE at roughly 69 million shares.
USG Corp. (NYSE: USG) SAME AS BEFORE at 17.072 million shares.
United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) SAME AS BEFORE at 1.429 million shares.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) SAME AS BEFORE at just over 39 million shares after having been raised before.
Washington Post (NYSE: WPO) SAME AS BEFORE at over 1.72 million shares.
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) is an INCREASED POSITION to 336.4+ million shares after about 325 million a quarter ago and after having been raised before in prior quarters.
Wesco Financial Corp. (NYSE: WSC) SAME AS BEFORE at 5.703 million shares. This is one that almost does not matter because Buffett and Munger have already expressed an interest in an at-the-money acquisition of the rest of the company.

BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘A to G’

BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘H to R’

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JON C. OGG

Filed under: Buffett, Conglomerates Tagged: BRK-A, BRK-B, SNY, TMK, UPS, USB, USG, WFC, WMT, WPO, WSC

Berkshire Hathaway & Buffett’s Latest Stock Holdings ‘S to Z’ (BRK-B, BRK-A, SNY, TIF, TMK, USB, USG, UPS, WMT, WPO, WFC, WSC)

Administrator — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:12:17 +0000

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B, BRK-A) has shown its latest holdings as of the close on June 30, 2010. These have been broken down into 3 groups of ‘A to G’ and ‘H to R’ and ‘S to Z’ so it is more concise and clear to see the path of changes etc. Here are Warren Buffett’s holdings and accompanying notes for the group ‘S to Z.’

Sanofi Aventis (NYSE: SNY) is 4.063 million, which appears to be higher than what we calculated as being “more than 3.9 million shares” a quarter earlier. That one could be a rounding difference.
Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) is NOT a common stock… but Buffett still holds the preferred shares and warrants.
Torchmark Corp. (NYSE: TMK) roughly 2.82 million, SAME AS before.
US Bancorp (NYSE: USB) roughly 69 million; SAME AS last quarter.
USG Corp. (NYSE: USG) 17.072 million shares, SAME AS last quarter.
United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) 1.429 million shares, SAME AS before.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is just over 39 million; SAME AS last quarter after it had been raised earlier.
Washington Post (NYSE: WPO) over 1.72 million shares, SAME AS last quarter.
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: was roughly 325 million shares, which appears mostly static after having been raised in the quarters before.
Wesco Financial Corp. (NYSE: WSC) 5.703 million shares, SAME AS last quarter.

BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘A to G’

BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘H to R’

You can join our free daily 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

Filed under: Buffett Tagged: BRK-A, BRK-B, SNY, TIF, TMK, UPS, USB, USG, WFC, WMT, WPO, WSC

Buffett & Berkshire Hathaway Latest Stock Holdings S to Z (BRK-B, BRK-A, SNY, TIF, TMK, USB, USG, UPS, WMT, WPO, WFC, WSC, STI, TRV, UNH, WLP)

Administrator — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:56:44 +0000

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B, BRK-A) has shown its latest holdings as of the close on March December 31, 2010 after the close. These have been broken down into 3 groups of ‘A to G’ and ‘H to R’ and ‘S to Z’ so it is more concise and clear to see the path of changes etc. Here are Warren Buffett’s holdings and accompanying notes for the group ‘S to Z.’

Sanofi Aventis (NYSE: SNY) more than 3.9 million shares, SAME as before.
Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF) is NOT a common stock… but Buffett still holds the preferred shares and warrants.
Torchmark Corp. (NYSE: TMK) roughly 2.82 million, SAME as before.
US Bancorp (NYSE: USB) roughly 69 million; SAME as last quarter.
USG Corp. (NYSE: USG) 17.072 million shares, SAME as last quarter.
United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) 1.429 million shares, SAME as before.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is just over 39 million; SAME as last quarter after it had been raised from 37.8 million; well above the 19.9+ million shares three quarters ago.
Washington Post (NYSE: WPO) over 1.72 million shares, SAME as before.
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: was roughly 319.5 million shares; roughly SAME as last quarter’ before that it had raised from 319.5 million shares versus 313.3 million shares a quarter ago and above the 302 million shares before that and above the 290+ million shares before that.
Wesco Financial Corp. (NYSE: WSC) 5.703 million shares, SAME as before.

Sun Trust Bank (NYSE: STI) IS ZERO, so it is gone from being a decreased position of almost 2.4 million shares, down from 3.079 million shares a quarter ago and down from 3.2+ million two quarters ago.
Travelers Cos. (NYSE: TRV) is ZERO, but this was always tiny at 27,336 shares before.
United Health Group (NYSE: UNH) is ZERO; that has been eliminated after having been a decreased holding of 1.175 million shares after 3 or 4 quarters of decline. .
Wellpoint Inc. (NYSE: WLP) is ZERO; that has been ELIMINATED from the 1.343 million shares the quarter before.

BUFFETT HOLDINGS A to G

BUFFETT HOLDINGS ‘H to R’

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JON C. OGG

Sponsor: 5 best investments for 2010 – The next nine months represent a bold new era for investors.

Filed under: Buffett Tagged: BRK-A, BRK-B, SNY, STI, TIF, TMK, TRV, UNH, UPS, USB, USG, WFC, WLP, WMT, WPO, WSC

Short Sellers Attack Buffett Holdings (BRK-B, BRK-A, AXP, BAC, BDX, KMX, KO, CMCSA, COP, COST, XOM, GCI, GE, GS, GSK, HD, IR, IRM, JNJ, KFT, LOW, MCO, NLC, NKE, PG, RSG, SNY, STI, TMK, TRV, USG, UNH, UPS, WMT, WPO, WFC, WLP, WSC)

247wallst — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:05:03 +0000

Short selling is seen for many reasons, but universally traders tend to track short selling to track the biggest changes in the short interest twice each month. Whether these are hedges, forward delivery trades, or just raw short sales, the trend is generally viewed as a bet against the overall market. During the month of February, we saw short selling increase at both the NASDAQ and at the NYSE. And it turns out that the short selling increased against more Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-B, BRK-A) stocks than those short positions which were lightened up.

The total NYSE short interest rose by 3.78% to 14,002,613,200 shares versus 13,492,652,518 shares in the period ending January 29, 2010. NASDAQ short interest was up 4.75% to 7,019,657,092 shares versus 6,701,137,021 shares ending January 29, 2010. It turns out that the best against Warren Buffett’s core holdings were frequently far higher than these short interest averages.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-A) was 14,752 shares, up 98% from 7,452 shares;
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B) was 29,538,177 shares, up 101% from 14,698,348 shares.

The bets against Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway were likely left over arbitrage plays or more importantly were index addition bets that the stock would drop after it was added to the S&P 500 index. We took a look here at the few first that actually saw a decrease in the short selling. These are Buffett stocks which saw traders making lower bets against his portfolio stocks as follows:

Gannett Co. (NYSE: GCI) was a smaller position as he cut the stock holdings but short sellers couldn’t take the gains in the stock. Short interest was 29,577,885, down by -3.6% vs 30,669,973
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) is a huge warrant and preferred position but not a common stock. Turns out that short sellers lightened up the bets against Blankfein and friends. This was 8,283,268 shares, down by -4.8% vs. 8,696,610
Ingersoll-Rand (NYSE: IR) 10,222,455, -7.5% vs. 11,046,783
Lowe’s Companies (NYSE: LOW) 13,467,676, down by -7.8% vs. 14,611,297
Moody’s (NYSE: MCO) was again decreased by Buffett, but short sellers lightened up here despite its changed model. This was listed as 31,252,489, down -4.8% vs. 32,815,912
Nalco Holding (NYSE: NLC) 2,861,748 was down -27% vs. 3,918,130
Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) was down 3% at 8,115,812 vs 8,364,309
Sanofi Aventis (NYSE: SNY) 1,417,016 down -27.8% vs 1,962,986
Sun Trust Bank (NYSE: STI) is a decreased position of Buffett’s and that was shorted less at 31,858,590, down -5.5% vs 33,707,880.
Torchmark Corp. (NYSE: TMK) 4,312,561 was -2.3% vs. 4,414,462
Wellpoint Inc. (NYSE: WLP) is one that Buffett has steadily been selling, but short sellers lightened up their bets against this stock. This was 6,306,073 shares short, down by -19.2% vs 7,800,022

This is the group where we saw increased bets against Buffett’s stocks. Some positions were changed by Buffett as well, and some bets were with Buffett’s directional change while others were against it. This large list is as follows:

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) 344,401,459 was up 5.4% from 326,896,224
Becton Dickinson & Co. (NYSE: BDX) was one Buffett raised his position in but shorts increased their bets against Buffett’s bet. This was 3,598,302 shares, up 12.6% from 3,195,720
Carmax Inc. (NYSE: KMX) was a decreased position for Buffett and short sellers increased their bets against it. This was 14,238,109 shares short, up 6.6% vs. 13,361,299
Coca Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) 17,941,700, up 15.9% from 15,469,000
Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) 48,314,070, up 13.3% from 42,632,950
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) was cut in Buffett holdings and it saw a rise in short selling to 15,031,200, up 18.2% from 12,714,800 shares.
Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ: COST) 11,281,400 up 11.14% vs. 10,150,700
Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) was slightly cut by Buffett and shorts increased their anti-oil bets to 80,161,907 shares, up 16.7% from 68,697,731
General Electric Corp. (NYSE: GE) 74,962,422, up 13.2% from 66,249,225
GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) 3,676,415, up 11.2% from 3,306,299
Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) 33,721,859, up 17.3% from 28,737,051
Iron Mountain (NYSE: IRM) was a stock Buffett raised his stake in, yet shorts bet against it with 15,134,029 shares short. That is up 6.7% from 14,180,881 shares.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) was another stock Buffett cut his stake in and the shorts increased their bets against it; 18,650,524 shares, up 13.7% from 16,408,634
Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT) 52,715,903, up 34.4% from 39,227,946
M&T Bank Corp. (NYSE: MTB) 14,557,744, up 0.1% from 14,549,915
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) was a smaller Buffett position, and there was a big short interest gain as a bet against P&G. This was 29,450,930 shares, up 21.2% from 24,302,413 shares.
Republic Services Inc. (NYSE: RSG) was a raised holding of Buffett in his chase after Bill Gates, but shorts bet harder against the garbage men here. This was 1,806,220 shares short, a 8.3% gain versus 1,667,190.
Travelers Cos (NYSE: TRV) 6,997,575, up 17.6% versus 5,948,204… but just tiny Buffett holding.
USG Corp. (NYSE: USG) 14,808,631, up 4.9% versus 14,122,777 shares
United Health Group (NYSE: UNH) was a decreased holding again from Buffett and shorts increased their short selling; 16,939,025 shares, up 39.2% from 12,169,639
United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) 11,663,165, up 4.5% vs. 11,159,600
Washington Post (NYSE: WPO) 178,636, up 5.9% from 168,638
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) was an increased position again for Buffett, but short sellers increased their bets against the company. It saw 49,549,878 shares short, up 12.5% from 44,048,977

Then there is the group that was effectively unchanged in short sales from the whole market in Buffett holdings. These are the stock holdings which saw an increase or decrease of 2.0% or less. These are as follows:

American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) 13,443,984, up 1.4% from 13,254,289
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) 21,200,285, up 0.4% from 21,119,310
Wesco Financial Corp. (NYSE: WSC) 5,008,953, down only -0.6% vs. 5,039,052

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JON C. OGG

Filed under: Buffett, Conglomerates, Short Interest Tagged: AXP, BAC, BDX, BRK-A, BRK-B, CMCSA, COP, COST, GCI, GE, GS, GSK, HD, IR, IRM, JNJ, KFT, KMX, KO, LOW, MCO, NKE, NLC, PG, RSG, SNY, STI, TMK, TRV, UNH, UPS, USG, WFC, WLP, WMT, WPO, WSC, XOM