Warren Buffett big loser with Apple Inc.

News Express |4th Jan 2019 | 1,633
Warren Buffett big loser with Apple Inc.

CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett

The plunge in Apple Inc’s share price will cause new pain for Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc, after the conglomerate suffered a big quarterly decline in its net worth that will hit its bottom line.

Berkshire’s share price fell more than 4 percent on Thursday after Apple, its largest common stock investment, slashed its revenue forecast after demand fell in China and fewer customers upgraded their iPhones. Apple slid as much as 10 percent.

The Berkshire decline reflects Apple’s impact on the Omaha, Nebraska-based company’s book value, which measures assets minus liabilities and is a favored growth gauge for Buffett.

It followed a fourth-quarter slump in stock prices that may have already cost Berkshire 8.2 percent of its book value, according to Keefe Bruyette & Woods analyst Meyer Shields.

Much of Berkshire’s roughly $219 billion of equities as of Sept. 30, including its stake in Kraft Heinz Co, suffered double-digit declines in the quarter, when the S&P 500 .SPX including dividends fell 13.5 percent.

Among Berkshire’s 10 largest stock holdings, only Coca-Cola Co escaped the carnage, rising 2.5 percent. Shields said a 9 percent drop in Apple could reduce Berkshire’s book value another 0.74 percent.

Buffett’s assistant did not respond to an email concerning whether the billionaire’s view of Apple has changed.

Berkshire began investing in Apple in 2016. Buffett then ramped up the stake as he exited IBM Corp, an investment that had broken his usual aversion to technology stocks.

IBM proved mediocre. Yet while many investors consider Apple a technology stock, Buffett views it more as a consumer stock, reflecting the dependence of so many people on their iPhones.

He told shareholders at Berkshire’s annual meeting last May that he would “love to see Apple go down in price” so he could buy more.

Assuming Berkshire hasn’t sold any shares, the value of its 5.3 percent Apple stake had fallen below $36 billion on Thursday from $57.6 billion on Sept. 30.

A big drop in book value could push Berkshire to an overall fourth-quarter net loss, even if its dozens of operating businesses, including the BNSF railroad and Geico auto insurer, perform well.

Accounting rules require Berkshire to report unrealized investment losses with quarterly results, and Buffett has urged investors to ignore the resulting swings. It last posted a net loss in the first quarter of 2018.

Berkshire’s operating businesses provided a cushion during the global financial crisis in 2008, when book value fell just 9.6 percent. The S&P 500 including dividends fell 37 percent. (NAN)



Comments

Post Comment

Guns boom, teargas rains as Wike, Bala Mohammed, Makinde, others battle for control of PDP National Secretariat

Guns boom, teargas rains as Wike, Bala Mohammed, Makinde, others battle for control of PDP National Secretariat

TD Africa takes centre stage at Schneider Electric Innovation Day Nigeria 2025, signs landmark MoU for AI-powered data centres

TD Africa takes centre stage at Schneider Electric Innovation Day Nigeria 2025, signs landmark MoU for AI-powered data centres

Full chat between Gen. Uba and rescuers before his capture and execution by ISWAP terrorists

Full chat between Gen. Uba and rescuers before his capture and execution by ISWAP terrorists

Canada warns against travel to Nigeria, 16 other African countries in latest security update

Canada warns against travel to Nigeria, 16 other African countries in latest security update

US Religious Freedom Coalition hails Trump for designating Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, urges swift action

US Religious Freedom Coalition hails Trump for designating Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern, urges swift action

Outrage as Nigerian immigrant stabbed to death at home in South Africa

Outrage as Nigerian immigrant stabbed to death at home in South Africa

Tension in Enugu community as Gov Mbah's kinsmen protest military invasion

Tension in Enugu community as Gov Mbah's kinsmen protest military invasion

Kebbi Abduction: How my daughter escaped after bandits killed my husband — Vice Principal’s Wife

Kebbi Abduction: How my daughter escaped after bandits killed my husband — Vice Principal’s Wife

Genocide: U.S. lawmaker alleges Tinubu lying, protecting own interest

Genocide: U.S. lawmaker alleges Tinubu lying, protecting own interest

Anambra Assembly worker dies over inability to repay loan as workers begin indefinite strike

Anambra Assembly worker dies over inability to repay loan as workers begin indefinite strike

VDM, comedian Mr Jollof risk jail over in-flight fight

VDM, comedian Mr Jollof risk jail over in-flight fight

Strike: FG’s ‘No Work, No Pay’ threat will escalate looming crisis — SSANU president

Strike: FG’s ‘No Work, No Pay’ threat will escalate looming crisis — SSANU president

Nigerian doctor sent to prison in UK for $268,000 fraud

Nigerian doctor sent to prison in UK for $268,000 fraud

Tinubu has less than 600 days to be flushed out — PDP chieftain

Tinubu has less than 600 days to be flushed out — PDP chieftain

Key facts about proposed UK asylum system reforms

Key facts about proposed UK asylum system reforms

Northern Governors condemn abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi

Northern Governors condemn abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi

Mbah okays 2025 promotion exercise for Enugu civil servants

Mbah okays 2025 promotion exercise for Enugu civil servants

Military action key to ending banditry in Zamfara — Northern elders

Military action key to ending banditry in Zamfara — Northern elders

I am proud of Super Eagles, Osimhen declares

I am proud of Super Eagles, Osimhen declares

UK to tighten refugee status, expand forced family removals under new plans

UK to tighten refugee status, expand forced family removals under new plans

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 2:30 PM
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on

GOCOP Accredited Member

GOCOP Accredited member
logo

NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s leading online newspaper. Published by Africa’s international award-winning journalist, Mr. Isaac Umunna, NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s first truly professional online daily newspaper. It is published from Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and media hub, and has a provision for occasional special print editions. Thanks to our vast network of sources and dedicated team of professional journalists and contributors spread across Nigeria and overseas, NEWS EXPRESS has become synonymous with newsbreaks and exclusive stories from around the world.

Contact

Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos State.
+234(0)8098020976, 07013416146, 08066020976
info@newsexpressngr.com

Find us on

Facebook
Twitter

Copyright NewsExpress Nigeria 2025