Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway gathered for its first annual assembly in an Omaha area on Saturday, bringing collectively shareholders for the primary time for the reason that loss of life of longtime vice chairman and right-hand man Charlie Munger. 

Tens of 1000’s of shareholders crammed the world desirous to vacuum up tidbits of knowledge from billionaire Buffett, who famously dubbed the assembly “Woodstock for Capitalists” and to pay tribute to Munger, who died at 99 in November. 

The assembly opened with a video tribute to Munger recounting his life and highlighting a few of his greatest recognized quotes from the conferences through the years that drew applause, together with traditional strains like “If folks weren’t so typically improper, we would not be so wealthy.” The video additionally featured previous interviews with Buffett and Munger speaking about their epic friendship.

The video additionally featured a number of of the traditional skits the buyers made for conferences through the years with vacation stars like a “Determined Housewives” spoof the place one of many ladies launched Munger as her boyfriend and one other video the place Jamie Lee Curtis swooned over Munger.

Because the video ended, everybody within the area gave Munger a chronic standing ovation to thank him for being what Buffett referred to as “the architect of Berkshire Hathaway.”

For many years, Munger shared the stage with Buffett yearly for the marathon query and reply session that’s the occasion’s centerpiece. Munger routinely let Buffett take the lead with expansive responses that went on for a number of minutes. Then Munger himself would reduce on to the purpose. He’s remembered for calling cryptocurrencies silly, telling folks to “marry the most effective individual that can have you ever” and evaluating many unproven web companies in 2000 to “turds.”

He and Buffett functioned as a traditional comedy duo, with Buffett providing prolonged setups to Munger’s witty one-liners. Collectively, they remodeled Berkshire from a floundering textile mill into a large conglomerate made up of a wide range of pursuits, from insurance coverage firms akin to Geico to BNSF railroad to a number of main utilities and an assortment of different firms.

Munger typically summed up the important thing Berkshire’s success as “making an attempt to be persistently not silly, as a substitute of making an attempt to be very clever.” He and Buffett additionally have been recognized for sticking to companies they understood properly.

“Warren at all times did no less than 80% of the speaking. However Charlie was an amazing foil,” mentioned Stansberry Analysis analyst Whitney Tilson, who was trying ahead to his twenty seventh consecutive assembly with a little bit of a heavy coronary heart due to Munger’s absence.

That absence, nevertheless, might properly create house for shareholders to get to know higher the 2 executives who straight oversee Berkshire’s firms: Ajit Jain, who manages the insurance coverage items, and Greg Abel, who handles all the pieces else. Abel will sooner or later substitute the 93-year-old Buffett as CEO. Abel and Jain are sharing the primary stage with Buffett for the primary time this yr within the spot Munger used to occupy.

The primary time Buffett kicked a query to Abel, he mistakenly mentioned “Charlie?” out of behavior.

Morningstar analyst Greggory Warren mentioned he hopes Abel will communicate up extra this yr and let shareholders see a few of the brilliance Berkshire executives speak about. Ever since Munger let it slip on the annual assembly three years in the past that Abel can be the successor, Buffett has repeatedly reassured buyers that he is assured within the choose.

Berkshire Hathaway stays profitable amid drop in earnings 

Buffett’s firm reported a steep drop in earnings as a result of the paper worth of its investments fell and it offered off a part of its huge Apple stake, however general, Berkshire Hathaway’s many companies carried out properly. 

Berkshire reported a $12.7 billion revenue, or $8,825 per Class A share, within the quarter. That is roughly one-third of the $35.5 billion, or $24,377 per A share, that Berkshire reported a yr in the past.

However these figures have been closely swayed by a big drop within the paper worth of Berkshire’s investments. That is why Buffett encourages buyers to pay extra consideration to the conglomerate’s working earnings that exclude the funding figures. By that measure, Berkshire’s working earnings jumped 39% to $11.222 billion from final yr’s $8.065 billion as its insurance coverage firms led a powerful efficiency.

The three analysts surveyed by FactSet Analysis had predicted working earnings of $6,701.87 per Class A share.

Buffett did dump almost $6 billion in shares through the quarter, together with trimming about 13% of Berkshire’s huge Apple stake. The funding within the iPhone maker remains to be the largest one within the $364 billion portfolio at $135.4 billion, and Buffett mentioned he expects Apple to stay the largest funding for years — even as much as when his successor takes over.

However the estimated worth of Berkshire’s Apple stake means that Buffett offered off greater than 100 million shares. Buffett has mentioned he invested in Apple’s inventory due to how devoted customers are to the iPhone and different Apple merchandise.

Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner, who’s on the Berkshire assembly, informed CNBC that he nonetheless considers it a privilege to have Berkshire as a serious shareholder, and he knew in regards to the gross sales earlier than Berkshire disclosed them Saturday.

Berkshire reported a $2.6 billion underwriting revenue at its insurers, up from $911 million a yr in the past.

BNSF railroad’s earnings did disappoint and drop 8% to $1.143 billion, however most of its many different firms delivered strong outcomes, together with a 72% bounce in working earnings on the utility unit that added $717 million to Berkshire’s whole.

Berkshire’s income grew 5% to $89.87 billion within the quarter. The 2 analysts who reported estimates to FactSet predicted $87.044 billion income.

With no main acquisitions in sight, Berkshire’s huge money pile continued to develop to a file $188.993 billion within the quarter. Berkshire even spent $2.6 billion repurchasing shares through the first three months of the yr, however its firms embody Geico insurance coverage, BNSF railroad, a number of main utilities and an assortment of dozens of others maintain producing mountains of money.

“We might like to spend it however we cannot spend it except we’re doing one thing with little or no threat that can make us some huge cash,” Buffett mentioned.