By Jonathan Stempel and Koh Gui Qing
OMAHA, Nebraska (Reuters) -Warren Buffett took the stage at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting on Saturday, paying tribute to his longtime business partner Charlie Munger while saying Berkshire is committed to holding Apple despite cutting its stake.
The meeting is the 60th for Buffett, 93, since he took over Berkshire in 1965. He has largely stopped appearing publicly to discuss the company. He told investors in November that he felt good but knew he was “playing in extra innings.”
The shareholder meeting is the first since Charlie Munger, Buffett’s longtime friend, business partner and foil, died in November at age 99.
“I have been in the position of having people I trust around me,” said Buffett on stage, who then referenced Munger. Earlier, in a video ahead of the meeting, Berkshire played a tribute to Munger showing photos of Omaha from 1924 and footage of Buffett and Munger through the years.
Munger was known for laconic and acerbic comebacks to Buffett’s often lengthy appraisals about Berkshire, the economy, Wall Street and life.
“Charlie’s architectural thoughts led to the Berkshire Hathaway of today,” said Buffett on the video. His design, he said, “lives beyond his lifetime and will live far beyond mine.”
Ahead of the meeting, Berkshire reported first-quarter earnings that showed that its cash pile swelled to $189 billion as of March 31 while the size of its stake in Apple fell. Based on changes in Apple’s stock price, Berkshire appeared to have sold 13% of its Apple shares in the quarter.
Buffett has long touted the iPhone maker’s leadership and market dominance. Some investors have expressed concern that Apple had become too large a part of Berkshire’s investment portfolio. Apple CEO Tim Cook was in the audience at the meeting on Saturday.
“The goal of Berkshire… is to increase the operating earnings,” Buffett said as he kicked off the meeting with a run-down of the first quarter’s earnings.
Buffett said “I don’t mind” expanding the cash stake, in light of alternatives in the equity markets and conflicts around the world, and said cash could top $200 billion by the end of June. He added that Berkshire remains committed to the U.S..
“We will be American oriented,” Buffett said. “If we do something really big it’s extremely likely it will be in the United States.”
Buffett assured shareholders that “unless something dramatic happens” that really changes Berkshire’s capital allocation, it will have Apple as its largest investment.
Vice Chairman Greg Abel, 61, designated Buffett’s successor as chief executive in 2021, sat on stage with Buffett.
Abel addressed issues at Berkshire’s energy business, saying Berkshire will fight litigation related to wildfires but that it was a substantial challenge. The unit faces billions of dollars in claims against its PacifiCorp unit over Oregon wildfires in 2020.
Also on stage was Vice Chairman Ajit Jain, 72.
In downtown Omaha, hundreds of shareholders waited in line overnight to get in early. When the doors opened, some shareholders ran in to get good seats and the auditorium quickly filled up.
“I was here since 2:30 a.m.,” said Serena Lam, 32, an investment portfolio manager who flew in with 40 others from Hong Kong and was standing first in line at one of the entrances. “I want to see Warren Buffett. I want to get his perspective about Japanese stocks. I flew over 25 hours for this.”
Bill Gunther, 72, a retired state forester from Newfane, Vermont, brought a lawn chair to sit in while on line.
“I feel very bullish about Berkshire. They’re so diversified and have a good company culture. That’s the one thing that I loved.”
Investors are focused on how the conglomerate will evolve as it faces challenges including how best to grow without overpaying for acquisitions, whether to pay a dividend and how to deploy cash on hand that stood at $189 billion as of the end of March.
SUCCESSION TOP OF MIND Berkshire is a $862 billion conglomerate with dozens of businesses including BNSF railroad, Geico car insurance, Dairy Queen and Fruit of the Loom. It also owns well over $300 billion of stocks, close to half of which is Apple.
Berkshire’s stock is up 23% over the last year, lagging the Standard & Poor’s 500’s 25% gain. Over the last decade, it has risen 218% versus the S&P’s 172% gain.
Buffett is expected to face a wide array of questions on Saturday from major investments such as Apple and Occidental Petroleum to how elevated interest rates have affected the company. Berkshire will also release first-quarter results and shareholders will vote on six proposals about climate, diversity and China. Buffett opposes all six. The weekend features opportunities for shareholders to buy goodies such as Berkshire T-shirts and Squishmallows toys at exhibits featuring Berkshire-owned companies.
Ruth Gearhart, 72, from Omaha, filled her bags with See’s Candies plus tongs and spatulas from Pampered Chef. A 15-year shareholder, Gearhart said she was mainly concerned with what Buffett might say regarding his succession. “I trust him,” she said. “He’s a brilliant man and he has a lot of brilliant people. He will get us through this. I’d hate to see him go, but I think they prepared for it well.”
(Reporting by Gui Qing Koh and Jonathan Stempel; additional reporting by Scott Morgan and Davide Barbuscia; editing by Ira Iosebashvili, Megan Davies, Cynthia Osterman, Jason Neely and Diane Craft)
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