Berkshire Hathaway stock selling is been assumed to be because he's fallen out of love with certain stocks (Apple) or because he wants to build up a cash reserve to take advantage of a predicted crash in the market but what if he's selling up to sell up? Berkshire Hathaway is a company that core competencies has increasingly been overshadowed by its CEOs investment gains in partially owned stock – its price going up on the news that its holding so much in T-bills shows how the price might be being distorted by "buffett magic." Market confidence that he can predict a change in the market and that he will be able to time that and exploit it for higher profit with a large cash reserve buoying the price even if the underlying value hasn't change. $277 billion is an insane amount of cash to hand and it being news probably wouldn't boost the share value for many other CEOs or companies if the source was the same.

    If you're a value investor that should concern you- maybe it concerns him as well- if his value is tied up in Hathaway stock and Hathaway stock is overpriced based on his own continued existence what happens to the stock value when he hands over the company, or dies? Would the market react the same way to learning that Greg Abel has $277bn in cash reserves to potentially invest with? Any other company can fall back on its business model to show potential future revenue when the CEO moves on- but the market value of Berkshire Hathaway stock is no longer in the business model of the companies it runs as a conglomerate- its in only having paid a single dividend since 1965 and reinvesting that money wherever they could if the business they directly controlled couldn't take the investment and Warren and Charlie being able to pick more winners than losers.

    His business partner of 60 years died last year, he's 94 years old, he's a value investor- instead of cashing out of the stock market because he's eager for another round of further investments what if he continues cashing out all of the partially owned businesses that have so overshadowed the core business in the last couple of decades so he can spin off the operating parts of Berkshire Hathaway into businesses that's value isn't at least partially dependent on him living forever as its CEO? Either that or just selling all the partially owned stock that doesn't fall under the conglomerate and paying out a monster dividend so that when he goes and the slight mania of annual shareholder meetings dies down there is still a core value-focused business there to focus on. The guy who he's picked to replace him is much more of a CEO type than an investment management type- was an energy CEO for a company Berkshire bought out in the 2000s.

    What would you do if this was the case? If he was unwinding his whole market position for at least all the partially owned stock?

    What if Warren Buffett is winding up Berkshire Hathaway?
    byu/Future_Challenge_511 inwallstreetbets



    Posted by Future_Challenge_511

    34 Comments

    1. Randomized007 on

      I thought he was selling because the corporate tax rate on gains was the lowest it’s ever been

    2. AdPrestigious8198 on

      I think he is anticipating the risk of crazy new tax laws and their effects on his profits

      If he takes profit now he isn’t liable for Kamala’s new taxes

    3. He knows something we don’t about BofA. IMO he thinks they’re going out of business.

    4. TheRealJehler on

      You think Warren Buffet is going to die? lol, he’s definitely bought calls on immortality

    5. Many_Masterpiece_841 on

      What if he is just hedging against incoming tax hikes should Harris be elected.

    6. justacrossword on

      The man bought a fucking railroad, yet it never occurs to anybody here that he could be building up cash to make a huge move in another company. 

    7. Hot_Marionberry9569 on

      I’d rather pay a 18% tax rate than a 50% tax rate. All that needs be said -_-

    8. Or he’s getting ready to pass on the baton and getting the portfolio into an easy handover state? 

    9. APPL is still their largest holding. I stopped reading after that because I suspect it just gets worse

    10. ComplaintComplete969 on

      Pretty sure he said it was because of taxes?

      He will sell now so the US government doesnt slap a 50% income tax or unrealised tax or whatever they are planning on doing

    11. Unwinding one of the most profitable companies in United States history?

      You belong here ![img](emote|t5_2th52|4640)

    12. My man, the guy needs the money. Have you not seen the inflations impact on hookers and coke?

    13. NuclearPopTarts on

      Trying to read this word salad gave me a headache.

      I didn’t realize Kamala Harris posted on Wall Street Bets!

    14. No_Consideration4594 on

      If he’s unwinding the portfolio why do the sales amount to less than 10% (probably much less but being liberal here) of the portfolio? And why is he adding to the portfolio with purchases of Chubb, Occidental, etc…?

      And why hasn’t he sold any of Berkshires wholly owned subsidiaries?

      And why in all of his writings, public speeches, q&a’s etc… has he said that unwinding Berkshire is the last thing he would want?

      Sorry bud, but this is a really bad and uninformed take…

    15. He’s unwinding to pass the torch so others can continue with their own strategies. To be unburdened by what has been.

    16. It is to save on taxes. If the tax rate changes with a new president it could cost billions. He talked about it already. Tax savings = stock selling.

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