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The week's question
In March 2025, in the thread "Re: OT, out", Umm asked the members: "Do you think it is because America is made up of magical soil that makes businesses based in America magically profitable?" This week it is put to everyone again. The button below opens the small thread re-asking it - read what others have said so far, then give your own answer as an ordinary reply.
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Stocks A to Z / Stocks B / Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)
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Author: mungofitch ✹✺ SILVER
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Number: of 22354 
Subject: Re: The real interview
Date: 08/31/24 11:14 AM
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"....you're so vain, you prob'ly think this song is about you...."

If folks were as subservient as accused, they would heed my insistence that I haven't claimed Apple is overvalued! I merely value Berkshire's Apple holding it based on a multiple of the look-through earnings rather than on current market price, as explained for example here mungofitch replies on Berkshire undervalued
As I've noted any number of times, I certainly *hope* Apple is worth more than the number I pencil in, I'm merely unwilling to *assume* that that's the case just because Mr Market is in a buoyant mood.

When the market multiple is higher than the multiple I use, I ignore the price and just keep on tracking the earning power value, which sometimes leads to using a lower valuation than the market price. That's not the same as bearishness. True, P/E is pretty rough as way of valuing a firm, but I think it's way better than market price in this case: the stock price has risen about 10%/year faster than the earnings in the last decade. Not 10% total, 10% a year.

Besides, the rather arbitrary multiple I use (21) is considerably higher than what Apple stock got in the market at any time in the decade 2011-2020--hardly a permabear level.

One flaw in my approach did show up this past quarter, though: I didn't expect Berkshire to actually *realize* the high price for half the shares : )
Even after tax, Berkshire realized 24.7 times earnings.
(average cost basis $34.26, average sale price $196.27 in Q2 which was most of it, gross profit per share $162.01, 21% tax on gross profit $34.02, so net profit per share 196.27-34.02= $162.25, versus EPS of $6.57)

Jim
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This community has written 21,861 posts about Berkshire Hathaway. The article-length ones it recommended most:
BRK: Why Not XOM? · 62 recs · 2024
Second quarter comments · 60 recs · 2023
Berkshire's Profit Contributors · 58 recs · 2023
Summary of 2Q 2026 · 55 recs · 2026
3Q Summary · 53 recs · 2024
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