Berkshire's SEC filing states that: "the Corporation’s Board of Directors believes that the split is advisable regardless of the BNSF transaction, and thus the Class B stock split is not contingent on the closing of the BNSF acquisition and, if approved by our shareholders, is expected to be effective prior to the date of such closing."
This is an interesting revelation. Warren Buffett has said the stock was being split so people owning small stakes in BNI could choose to get Berkshire B shares as part of a tax-free transaction. The SEC filing suggests that Berkshire wanted to split the B shares anyway. The A shares aren't being split.
The split, if done today, would take Berkshire B shares from about $3,450 per share to about $69 per share. This makes the stock more accessible to the small-potatoes investor, adds trading volume and makes it more likely that the stock will be added to the S&P 500. That will force index funds to buy the stock, creating a steady flow of demand. It makes Berkshire a more mainstream stock and seems to be a step toward the post-Buffett era.
Here is what Buffett biographer Alice Schroeder had to say about the split in a recent Bloomberg column regarding the BNSF deal:
A final motive I am confident about is that Buffett finally has a plausible excuse to split Berkshire’s B shares. He has spilled a lot of ink over the years decrying stock splits. A 50- to-1 ratio isn’t a stock split, it is a mincing. Why do it? Buffett has just given Standard & Poor’s the ticket it needs to add Berkshire to the S&P 500 Index at a time when S&P is desperate for large, solvent, high-quality companies to replace the casualties of last year’s carnage. It is high time for Standard & Poor’s to do this, but the stock’s liquidity has always been the sticking point. Buffett would never admit to wanting Berkshire to join the S&P, but becoming an acknowledged peer to other major companies is part of the path to his legacy.
Berkshire will hold a special shareholders meeting in January to vote on the stock split and a few related matters, according to the SEC filing. An exact date wasn't given. The vote should just be a formality, as Buffett has already said he'll be voting for the change, and he controls 31.6 percent of the voting power. Other shareholders will follow.
In addition to approving the stock split, Berkshire shareholders will be authorizing the company to increase the number of B shares issued from 55 million to 3.225 billion. This will account for the 50-to-1 split and create enough B shares for each A share to be converted.
Of course all A shares won't be converted to B shares, but it's gradually happening, thanks mostly to Buffett's annual donations to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the foundations of his late wife and children. Buffett's A shares are slowly being converted to B shares as part of the donations.
The conversion rate will now be 1,500 B shares for every one A share (A shares can be converted to B shares but not vice-versa). Each B share will have one-ten-thousandth (1/10,000th) the voting power of an A share, which is again proportional to the current 1/200th ratio.
Only shareholders who own Berkshire stock as of the close of business Nov. 30 will be able to vote at the special shareholders meeting in January. Most of the votes will likely be done by proxy, and people who don't return the materials will be counted as voting in favor of the recommendations.
The Burlington deal, through which Berkshire will buy the $26 billion in BNI stock that it doesn't already own, is expected to close in the first quarter sometime after the special shareholders meeting. Berkshire is expected to finance the deal by issuing about $10 billion worth of stock, paying $8 billion in cash on its own books and paying another $8 billion in cash borrowed from Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan Chase on favorable terms.
William Freehling, who owns Berkshire Hathaway "B" shares, is a business writer for a newspaper in Virginia. He closely follows the moves made by Warren Buffett and his company. He has read widely on Buffett and the billionaire's beliefs on value investing. Bill can be contacted at freehling@hotmail.com
Rate This Article: |
  |
Click to see which Gurus bought BNI , BRKB , BRKA ?
Check out Warren Buffett Stock Picks, and Current Portfolio,
User Comments:
1. Hschacht says on Nov 21, 2009 at 11:34 AM:
The split will also increase liquidity which only helps the Gates Foundation, which will be a consistent seller of Berkshire for years to come.
Also the conversion of A shares to B shares cements voting control given the disparity between A & B voting rights.
I don't mean to be cynical, but in no way is Buffett looking out for the little guy in these actions.
And, this comes from a Buffett fan... nonetheless, the truth is the truth.
| Quote This Comment Add Your Comment | Rate this comment: |
2. Rnagarajan says on Nov 21, 2009 at 1:04 PM:
That clause in the proxy was interesting ... but I would discount conspiracy theories regarding Buffett's motive for the split. From what I understand, Alice Schroeder has not had access to Buffett since shortly after Snowball's original publication last year so she is speculating just like everyone else in my opinion.
| Quote This Comment Add Your Comment | Rate this comment: |
3. Acommontater says on Nov 23, 2009 at 9:39 AM:
As an older stockholder, I applaud this move because, selfishly I have two adult children that will divide my shares between them when my wife and I die. The shares I own have always been "Keeping" shares as far as we are concerned but I don't know if this will be true when they pass to my children. With the split, each of my children will enjoy greater flexibility.
| Quote This Comment Add Your Comment | Rate this comment: |
4. Augustabound says on Nov 23, 2009 at 10:39 AM:
You bring up a good point. There are many older shareholders who have held their shares for decades and we can only assume their heirs will sell when they see fit.
| Quote This Comment Add Your Comment | Rate this comment: |