Berkshire Hathaway : An American Multinational Conglomerate Holding Company Essay

This team has been assigned to perform an executive summary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BHI). This company has been profitable for the last three fiscal years, and is on the U.S. Stock Exchange. This summary will contain information gathered from BHI’s most recent annual report. Using the company’s balance sheet, cash flow statement, and income statement (all three are attached following the references) 14 key areas will be addressed:

Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., & Jordan, B. D. (Eds.). (2011). Essentials of corporate finance (7th ed., Rev.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

The questions that follow and the article Comparing the Accuracy and Explainability of Dividend, Free Cash Flow, and Abnormal Earnings Equity Value Estimates will inform your completion of Milestone Three. An understanding of the models in this assignment will assist you in hypothesizing the incremental impact of a new investment project for the company. The understanding of these models will contribute to your ability to look toward the future when considering the direction of an organization. This activity is worth a total of 75 points. See the distribution of points listed before each question.

Week 1 – Introduction – Financial Accounting (Review) Week 2 – Financial Markets and Net Present Value Week 3 – Present Value Concepts Week 4 – Bond Valuation and Term Structure Theory Week 5 – Valuation of Stocks Week 6 – Risk and Return – Problem Set #1 Due Week 7* – Midterm (Tuesday*) Week 8 - Portfolio Theory Week 9 – Capital Asset Pricing Model Week 10 – Arbitrage Pricing Theory Week 11 – Operation and Efficiency of Capital Markets Week 12 – Course Review – Problem Set #2 Due

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the stock price of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (which ticker symbol in NYSE is WMT) by fundamental analysis. According to this analysis, I recommend that Wal-Mart is worth to invest in the long term because of the potential growth of market shares and revenue. Besides, based on P/E method and Gordon model, WMT price is undervalued; therefore, if investors buy the stock, they will get benefit not only in capital gain but also in dividend cash inflow.

In the book, The Corporation Joel Bakan presents arguments, that corporations are nothing but institutional pathological psychopaths that are “a dangerous possessor of the great power it wields over people and societies.” Their main responsibility is maximizing profit for their stockholders and ignoring the means to achieve this goal, portrays them as “psychopathic.” Bakan argues that, corporations are psychopaths, corporate social responsibility is illegal, and that corporations are able to manipulate anyone, even the government.

Review of Financial Research Report: This assignment is an analysis of a US publicly-traded company; its common stock could be a prospective investment.  The report is due in Week 10, in needs to be at least 5 pages, and it needs to cover the following topics:

Financial data from past periods of a company, provides a perspective for future outcomes. Investors give proper attention to different ratios. In this report I am analyzing the financial position and financial performance of AT & T, a US. Telecommunication Company. The objective and conclusion of this analysis will be, if is either good or not to invest in the company.

The learning objectives for students in this course are: (l) improve your understanding of financial securities and markets, (2) develop the ability to analyze investment companies, common stocks, and bonds for investment decisions, (3) understand how options are

The dividends to Kennecott equal to the difference between Carborundum’s net income after adjustment and the profit retention. The methodology Kennecott’s management team used to determine the value of Carborundum to Kennecott was evaluated using an incorrect set of cash flows. First, it subtracted out the profit retention requirements needed to support Carborundum’s growth even though Kennecott would own the full equity in Carborundum, which is incorrect. Second, depending on the method used to value the company, the relevant set of cash flow is needed to be determined, either the free cash flow to the firm or the free cash flow to equity.

The purpose of this paper is to recommend Jack to long the Comerica Incorporated (CMA) stock. In this paper we explain how banks operate and present a small back ground on the issue Comerica is facing. Then we more on to financial statements analysis of CMA, which does not present a very strong outlook of the company, but because of the financial crisis, whole industry is experiencing financial stress. Next, our valuation methods show that CMA is undervalued relative to its peers, and hence is a good company to invest in.

This Corporate Finance paper focuses on analyzing the challenges that Northampton Group Inc. (NGI) is facing as it tries to increase shareholder value. In the case study it is stated by the firm’s major shareholders, that they believe NGI is currently undervalued. In connection with this, the management of NGI is considering several means of increasing the shareholders value. Due to difficult economic conditions resulting from the Global Economic Crisis, there are both

The Balance Sheet of Berkshire Hathaway shows significant liquidity and a strong capital base, reflecting the very strong financial condition of the company. Berkshire's shareholders equity was $108.4 billion and consolidated cash and invested assets was approximately $126.1 billion at December 31, 2006. The company's liabilities totaled 3.7 billion at December 31, 2006. The net earnings of Berkshire Hathaway were $11.015 billion in 2006 and the income taxes for the year were $5.505 billion. The invested assets of the company are predominately held within its insurance business and the company believes it is capable of covering its contractual obligations. The market value of Berkshire Hathaway as of March 17, 2006 was approximately 136 billion.

Once a company makes a profit, they must decide on what to do with those profits. They could continue to retain the profits within the company, or they could pay out the profits to the owners of the firm in the form of dividends. Once the company decides on whether to pay dividends, they may establish a somewhat permanent dividend policy, which may in turn impact on investors and perceptions of the company in the financial markets. What they decide depends on the situation of the

To increase and maximize the wealth/value of shareholders, it is necessary that the company is competitive in their market and can reliably “earn a considerable return on its investments above their cost of capital” (Doyle, 2000). The increasing rates of return of well performing companies attract new investors who invest money to become shareholders. These outside funds from investors are essential for growth of businesses and the expansion into new markets. Measurements of generated shareholder returns over a certain time period deliver the company useful information on whether their objectives have been achieved or should be new adjusted (Atrill, 2009).