Register For Our Mailing List

Register to receive our free weekly newsletter including editorials.

Register

3 May 2024

Home / 356

Buffett's meeting takeaway: extreme caution

Morningstar's US strategist, Gregg Warren, specialises in researching Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK). In this two-part article, he provides a brief review of his major highlights from the annual meeting of BRK, followed by a short video summarising Buffett's presentation last weekend.

While wide-moat-rated Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A/BRK.B) annual meeting has always been entertaining, it hasn't generally been a big source of meaningful insights into the firm's operations. This year's event, which was a significantly smaller affair with no shareholders in attendance in Omaha and just CEO Warren Buffett and Greg Abel (vice chairman of Berkshire's noninsurance business operations) taking questions from a remotely located Becky Quick (of CNBC), who was collating all of the questions for the three journalists on the journalist panel, was relatively subdued. The meeting not only started later in the day, but Buffett spent much of the first two hours of the five-hour event speaking about his thoughts about the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential economic impacts, touching on everything from monetary and fiscal policy to consumer and commercial behaviour.

The main thing we took away from Buffett's preamble, as well as the question-and-answer segment, was that Berkshire (much as we heard from Charlie Munger in a Wall Street Journal interview in mid-April) is being extremely cautious right now, given all of the uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shutdown/recession. Unlike Buffett's famous maxim to "be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful", Berkshire actually dumped some stocks, did not pursue any deals, and let its cash balances expand during the first quarter.

While it was no surprise to see Berkshire dump the airlines, we were shocked to see that Buffett stopped buying back Berkshire's shares on March 10 and didn't repurchase any of the company's common stock between then and the end of April. Our general feeling has been that with cash reserves being guarded, distressed opportunities few and far between, and many of Berkshire's stock holdings either struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic or subsequent shutdown/recession, the best option for the company's excess cash may be Berkshire's own common stock.

Greggory Warren, CFA, is a financial services sector strategist for Morningstar. This article is general information and does not consider the circumstances of any investor.

Surprises from Berkshire's Annual Meeting

Click on the image of Gregg Warren to hear his reactions to Buffett's presentation.

 

8 Comments
Jim Simpson
May 13, 2020

Interesting that Berkshire have dumped airline shares.
My memory is that one of Warren Buffet's rules of investing was " never invest in airlines". He backed this up by saying that occasionally, in the middle of the night, he woke up with an idea that he should invest in airlines but he had a 1800 number that he rang and was talked out of it by a counsellor.

Chris
May 06, 2020

Buffett doesn't need to do anything at this stage of his life, he literally will be the person that captures essence of the phrases "he who dies with the most toys, wins" and "When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer.". There's nothing else to do now, even he has said that when he dies it's all going in an S&P500 index fund.

Not buying anything is probably due to two reasons: (1) at his age, he's probably gone all risk-averse and not wanting to make a mistake right at the end that people will remember him for more than what he did before it and (2) there is nothing to buy at the current prices that is attractive enough.

Sure, there might be something out there but people always want something for even cheaper than is being offered to them, even if it is a good price.

Alfa123
May 09, 2020

Buffett thinks like a businessman first and investor later.

Chris
May 13, 2020

Why are the two concepts separate ?

Alan Moffett
May 20, 2020

A business man cares about health of business on a long term basis ahead of financial rewards. A modern day investor in reality is a speculator who is more interpreted in the price action of security. He is not interested in overall business health, wants to make make quick buck and move on to next security.

This is the main difference between Warren Buffett and an average investor.

david
May 06, 2020

Very surprised with the airline purchase due to the majority of airlines around the world not making profits in the good times. No moat businesses as well.

Thurston Howell, IV.
May 06, 2020

Pretty sure it wasn't Buffett's idea to ever own airlines, rather his upcoming guys Todd and Ted. These worked well, until they didn't. When things went as they did, and future prospects and costs unknown, it was time to bail out, in full, as they don't like minority holdings. As usual, he bares full responsibilty, so you won't hear him blaming his juniors if my theory is right.

CC
May 06, 2020

I was shocked that Buffett ever bought airline stocks in the first place !!
That's something in the past he said he'd never do.

 

Leave a Comment:

RELATED ARTICLES

Three key takeaways from Buffett's annual letter

10 quick lessons from Buffett’s 2019 Meeting

Buffett on markets, cash and seizing opportunities

Firstlinks is sponsored by:
banner

Most viewed in recent weeks

2024/25 super thresholds – key changes and implications

The ATO has released all the superannuation rates and thresholds that will apply from 1 July 2024. Here's what’s changing and what’s not, and some key considerations and opportunities in the lead up to 30 June and beyond.

Five months on from cancer diagnosis

Life has radically shifted with my brain cancer, and I don’t know if it will ever be the same again. After decades of writing and a dozen years with Firstlinks, I still want to contribute, but exactly how and when I do that is unclear.

Uncomfortable truths: The real cost of living in retirement

How useful are the retirement savings and spending targets put out by various groups such as ASFA? Not very, and it's reducing the ability of ordinary retirees to fully understand their retirement income options.

Is Australia ready for its population growth over the next decade?

Australia will have 3.7 million more people in a decade's time, though the growth won't be evenly distributed. Over 85s will see the fastest growth, while the number of younger people will barely rise. 

Why LICs may be close to bottoming

Investor disgust, consolidation, de-listings, price discounts, activist investors entering - it’s what typically happens at business cycle troughs, and it’s happening to LICs now. That may present a potential opportunity.

The public servants demanding $3m super tax exemption

The $3 million super tax will capture retired, and soon to retire, public servants and politicians who are members of defined benefit superannuation schemes. Lobbying efforts for exemptions to the tax are intensifying.

Latest Updates

Shares

Exploiting Warren Buffett

Growth investors are using Buffett to justify buying blue chip stocks at almost any price. It’s a recipe for potential disaster, as investors in market darlings like CBA and Cochlear may be about to find out.

Property

Population density trends and what they mean for housing

With Australia’s population moving through the fastest rate of growth since the 1950s, our cities and towns are naturally densifying. This is a look at the latest trends and how they will impact the property market.

SMSF strategies

The ultimate superannuation EOFY checklist 2024

We're nearing the end of the financial year and it's time for SMSFs and other super funds to make the most of the strategies available to them. Here's a 24-point checklist of the most important issues to address.

Shares

The outlook for Nvidia, from a long-time investor

Nvidia has taken the world by storm and is now the third largest stock on the planet - larger than Meta, Amazon, and Alphabet. Here is the latest take on Nvidia from a fund manager who first invested in the company in 2016.

Economy

Gross National Happiness?

Despite being richer, surveyed measures of happiness have been flat to falling in Australia. Some suggest we should focus less on GDP and more on broader measures of wellbeing, though there are pros and cons to that approach.

Shares

The power of dividends

In an era where growth companies dominate and the likes of Nvidia grab all of the attention, dividend paying stocks are flying under the radar. Some of these stocks offer compelling prospective returns.

Fixed interest

The best opportunities in fixed income right now

After more than a decade of pitiful yields, bonds are back offering better prospects for income investors. What are the best ways to take advantage of the market inefficiencies in Australian fixed income?

Sponsors

Alliances

Site Map

About Firstlinks

© 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer
The data, research and opinions provided here are for information purposes; are not an offer to buy or sell a security; and are not warranted to be correct, complete or accurate. Morningstar, its affiliates, and third-party content providers are not responsible for any investment decisions, damages or losses resulting from, or related to, the data and analyses or their use. To the extent any content is general advice, it has been prepared for clients of Morningstar Australasia Pty Ltd (ABN: 95 090 665 544, AFSL: 240892), without reference to your financial objectives, situation or needs. For more information refer to our Financial Services Guide. You should consider the advice in light of these matters and if applicable, the relevant Product Disclosure Statement before making any decision to invest. Past performance does not necessarily indicate a financial product’s future performance. To obtain advice tailored to your situation, contact a professional financial adviser. Articles are current as at date of publication.
This website contains information and opinions provided by third parties. Inclusion of this information does not necessarily represent Morningstar’s positions, strategies or opinions and should not be considered an endorsement by Morningstar.