Money and Finance
From Warren Buffett's 1985 Letter to Shareholders:
- Warren Buffett Quote
“Your goal as an investor should simply be to purchase, at a rational price, a part interest in an easily-understandable business whose earnings are virtually certain to be materially higher five, ten and twenty years from now. Over time,...
- Berkshire Hathaway's Stock Price Performance In The Past
Berkshire Hathaway included the yearly stock performance in the annual report this year. After slower growth in book value in the 1973-1974 recession, book value growth picked up in 1975. Berkshire's stock price, which was down a bit in 1973, took...
- Earnings Surprises, Price Reaction And Value - By Aswath Damodaran
Professor Damodaran also attaches a link to his Apple valuation spreadsheet at the end of his post. The earnings season is upon us and each company’s earnings announcement is eagerly awaited, traded upon and talked about. For widely followed companies...
- Hussman Weekly Market Comment: Reported Earnings Versus "owner Earnings"
Over the years, I have frequently emphasized that stocks are not a claim on "forward operating earnings." They are not even a claim on reported net earnings (and should not be valued as a blind multiple to a single year's results in any event). They...
- So, What's Berkshire Worth Anyway?
It seems to be pretty clear to most value investors that Berkshire Hathaway is a bargain. But, how big of a bargain is it and how much can we expect to make over the next few years by purchasing a stake in Warren Buffett's masterpiece today? I view...
Money and Finance
Growth in earnings and return on capital...
From Warren Buffett's 1985 Letter to Shareholders:
When returns on capital are ordinary, an earn-more-by-putting-up-more record is no great managerial achievement. You can get the same result personally while operating from your rocking chair. Just quadruple the capital you commit to a savings account and you will quadruple your earnings. You would hardly expect hosannas for that particular accomplishment. Yet, retirement announcements regularly sing the praises of CEOs who have, say, quadrupled earnings of their widget company during their reign - with no one examining whether this gain was attributable simply to many years of retained earnings and the workings of compound interest.
If the widget company consistently earned a superior return on capital throughout the period, or if capital employed only doubled during the CEO’s reign, the praise for him may be well deserved. But if return on capital was lackluster and capital employed increased in pace with earnings, applause should be withheld. A savings account in which interest was reinvested would achieve the same year-by-year increase in earnings - and, at only 8% interest, would quadruple its annual earnings in 18 years.
The power of this simple math is often ignored by companies to the detriment of their shareholders. Many corporate compensation plans reward managers handsomely for earnings increases produced solely, or in large part, by retained earnings - i.e., earnings withheld from owners. For example, ten-year, fixed-price stock options are granted routinely, often by companies whose dividends are only a small percentage of earnings.
- Warren Buffett Quote
“Your goal as an investor should simply be to purchase, at a rational price, a part interest in an easily-understandable business whose earnings are virtually certain to be materially higher five, ten and twenty years from now. Over time,...
- Berkshire Hathaway's Stock Price Performance In The Past
Berkshire Hathaway included the yearly stock performance in the annual report this year. After slower growth in book value in the 1973-1974 recession, book value growth picked up in 1975. Berkshire's stock price, which was down a bit in 1973, took...
- Earnings Surprises, Price Reaction And Value - By Aswath Damodaran
Professor Damodaran also attaches a link to his Apple valuation spreadsheet at the end of his post. The earnings season is upon us and each company’s earnings announcement is eagerly awaited, traded upon and talked about. For widely followed companies...
- Hussman Weekly Market Comment: Reported Earnings Versus "owner Earnings"
Over the years, I have frequently emphasized that stocks are not a claim on "forward operating earnings." They are not even a claim on reported net earnings (and should not be valued as a blind multiple to a single year's results in any event). They...
- So, What's Berkshire Worth Anyway?
It seems to be pretty clear to most value investors that Berkshire Hathaway is a bargain. But, how big of a bargain is it and how much can we expect to make over the next few years by purchasing a stake in Warren Buffett's masterpiece today? I view...