Berkshire Hathaway Annual Letter to Shareholders 2023
berkshirehathaway.com · 2024-02-28 · tier T1
Source: Letter · berkshirehathaway.com dated 2024-02-28. Auto-generated factual summary. Not investment advice. Verify before acting.
Warren Buffett's 2023 letter opens with a tribute to Charlie Munger, who died at 99, crediting him as the intellectual architect of modern Berkshire despite Buffett serving as day-to-day operator. Buffett reports operating earnings of $37.4 billion for 2023, up from $30.9 billion in 2022, driven by strong insurance underwriting and investment income from Treasury bills. However, BNSF railroad earnings declined more than expected due to revenue falls and wage increases, while Berkshire Hathaway Energy faced severe regulatory headwinds and forest-fire losses in western states. Berkshire holds $561 billion in GAAP net worth—nearly 6% of the S&P 500's total—limiting growth prospects. The company maintains long-term positions in Coca-Cola, American Express, Occidental Petroleum, and five Japanese conglomerates. Buffett emphasizes Berkshire's fortress balance sheet, minimal debt, and commitment to avoiding permanent capital loss, positioning the firm to weather financial crises.
Citations · 6
“$27.6 billion for 2021; $30.9 billion for 2022 and $37.4 billion for 2023”
p#22 · confidence 95%
“Last year BNSF's earnings declined more than I expected, as revenues fell. Though fuel costs also fell, wage increases, promulgated in Washington, were far beyond the country's inflation goals.”
p#86 · confidence 93%
“the regulatory climate in a few states has raised the specter of zero profitability or even bankruptcy”
p#90 · confidence 90%
“Berkshire now occupies nearly 6% of the universe in which it operates. Doubling our huge base is simply not possible within, say, a five-year period”
p#35 · confidence 94%
“Berkshire owned 27.8% of Occidental Petroleum's common shares and also owned warrants that, for more than five years, give us the option to materially increase our ownership”
p#61 · confidence 95%
“I can't remember a period since March 11, 1942 – the date of my first stock purchase – that I have not had a majority of my net worth in equities, U.S.-based equities.”
p#25 · confidence 95%
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Warren Buffett
Berkshire's annual letter · long-term equity ritual
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