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Kelly Toys and its Berkshire Hathaway -controlled parent company Jazwares have sued Build-A-Bear, saying its new “Skoosherz” toys copy the look and feel of their mega-popular Squishmallows products. Jazwares is seeking unspecified damages and for Build-A-Bear to stop selling Skoosherz products. It wants a declaratory judgement saying that the Squishmallow maker’s claimed trade dress rights are invalid and unenforceable. “If each aspect of the claimed trade dress were in fact protected trade dress, it would be virtually impossible for competitors to create alternative designs," Build-A-Bear added. It was the first time the plush products were offered to shareholders since Berkshire bought Alleghany in 2022 for $11.6 billion.

Persons: Kelly Toys, copycats, Moez, Kelly, Jazwares, Skoosherz, maker’s, Squishmallows, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, ” Skoosherz, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, Charlie Munger, Josh Funk Organizations: Berkshire Hathaway, Alleghany Corp, Berkshire, Associated Locations: Squishmallows, St, Louis, U.S, California, Missouri, Omaha , Nebraska, Berkshire’s, Alleghany

☆ Munger and Buffett were unable to pull off one last deal together using Berkshire's $157 billion in cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Charlie Munger didn't manage to help pull off one final deal with his lifelong partner Warren Buffett, but he remained hopeful that Berkshire Hathaway , with nearly $160 billion cash, will find its elephant one day. Not very many," Munger said in CNBC's special "Charlie Munger: A Life of Wit and Wisdom," which aired Thursday. The Omaha-based conglomerate held a record level of cash — $157.2 billion — at the end of September. Squeeze new lemonsMunger, Berkshire's late vice chairman, said such a mammoth deal may have to be done by the next generation of leaders at the conglomerate. "There are worse situations than drowning in cash, and sitting, sitting, sitting.

Persons: Charlie Munger didn't, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, Munger, Charlie Munger, CNBC's Becky Quick, Buffett, Berkshire's, Greg Abel, Buffett's, Ajit Jain, Ted Weschler, Todd Combs Organizations: Berkshire, Alleghany Corp, Dominion Locations: Omaha, Munger

☆ How TikTok sensation Squishmallows found Warren Buffett
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

May 13 (Reuters) - Squishmallows joined Warren Buffett's business empire two years after Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and others helped make the plush stuffed toys a viral sensation on TikTok. They married in 1993 and embarked on law careers, but Judd Zebersky soon realized that wasn't his destiny. Laura Zebersky, a litigator, sold her practice in 2005 and joined him, becoming Jazwares' president. "This was a brand that needed a lot of love," Judd Zebersky said. "Greg is exactly what we have all learned about the Berkshire model," Laura Zebersky said.

☆ Warren Buffett's rival for attention at Berkshire weekend: Squishmallows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Investors and guests walk by a Squishmallow display during the Berkshire Hathaway Inc in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. May 5, 2023. On Friday, the start of Berkshire Hathaway Inc's (BRKa.N) three-day shareholder weekend, thousands thronged a convention hall in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, for five hours to buy discounted products from many Berkshire-owned brands. For many, the $9.99 Squishmallows featuring Buffett and Munger, made by Berkshire's recently acquired toy company Jazwares, were the must-have memento. About 10,000 Buffett and Munger Squishmallows were sold, and by Monday they were fetching as much as $255 at auction on eBay. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in Omaha, Nebraska Editing by Megan Davies and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Berkshire posts $35.5 billion profit, sells over $13 billion in stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Berkshire also sped up repurchases of its own stock, buying back $4.4 billion, while paring its investments in other stocks such as Chevron Corp CVX.N, which is still a major holding. MORE CASHNet income equaled $24,377 per Class A share and rose from $5.58 billion, or $3,784 per share, a year earlier. That in part reflected a 27% jump in Apple's AAPL.O stock price, leaving Berkshire with a $151 billion stake in the iPhone maker. Quarterly operating profit increased 13% to $8.07 billion, or about $5,561 per Class A share, from $7.16 billion. Berkshire's cash hoard grew $2 billion in the quarter to $130.6 billion, as the company sold $13.3 billion of stocks and bought just $2.9 billion.

☆ Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting is here: What to expect from Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Warren Buffett is set to kick off Berkshire Hathaway 's annual shareholder meeting Saturday before tens of thousands of adoring shareholders. Berkshire's annual "Woodstock for Capitalists" will be held in Omaha, Nebraska, the second straight in-person gathering after two virtual meetings during the pandemic. The question of Buffett's Activision stake is expected to come up at the annual meeting. Geico Berkshire shareholders will also be eager to learn more about what's next for auto insurer Geico , the crown jewel of Berkshire's insurance empire and Buffett's "favorite child." ESG issues There are a few ESG-related shareholder proposals being put to a vote at the annual meeting, including requiring Berkshire to publish an annual assessment of climate-related risks and publish data on its workforce composition by gender, race, and ethnicity.

☆ Warren Buffett, in annual letter, stays upbeat and preaches patience
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

In his annual letter to Berkshire shareholders, the 92-year-old Buffett urged investors to focus on the big picture over the long term, rather than higher inflation and other factors that in 2022 dampened stock prices, though not Berkshire's. And I doubt very much that any reader of this letter will have a different experience in the future." "Buffett is very humble in assessing his own investment prowess, and unnecessarily so," said Thomas Russo, a partner at Gardner Russo & Quinn and longtime Berkshire investors. It also became a big seller of stocks including Taiwanese semiconductor maker TSMC (2330.TW) late in the year, while stepping up repurchases of its own stock. Buffett also urged investors not to dwell on near-term market conditions - he said Berkshire offers "modest protection from runaway inflation, but this attribute is far from perfect."

Warren Buffett released his latest annual shareholder letter for Berkshire Hathaway on Saturday. "And I doubt very much that any reader of this letter will have a different experience in the future." And I doubt very much that any reader of this letter will have a different experience in the future." Buffett defends stock buybacks "Gains from value-accretive repurchases, it should be emphasized, benefit all owners – in every respect. • Finally, I will add two short sentences by Charlie that have been his decision-clinchers for decades: "Warren, think more about it.

☆ Buffett's Berkshire posts record annual operating profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 25 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) on Saturday reported its highest-ever annual operating profit, even as foreign currency losses and lower gains from investments caused fourth-quarter profit to fall. Quarterly operating profit fell 8% to $6.71 billion, or $4,596 per Class A share, from $7.29 billion. Profit also fell at the BNSF railroad, while Berkshire generated more profit from its energy businesses and more income from its insurance investments as interest rates rose. For all of 2022, Berkshire lost $22.82 billion, largely because of losses in its $308.8 billion common stock portfolio. "We're delighted to see the growth in float," said Thomas Russo, a partner at Gardner Russo & Quinn who helps invest $8 billion, about 17% of which is in Berkshire stock.

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☆ Buffett's Berkshire has record annual operating profit despite inflation, rate pressures
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Feb 25 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) on Saturday reported its highest-ever annual operating profit, even as foreign currency losses and rising interest rates contributed to lower earnings in the fourth quarter. Buffett called 2022 a "good year" for Berkshire in his annual shareholder letter, after the conglomerate's dozens of businesses generated $30.8 billion of profit despite rising inflation and supply chain disruptions, including from the war in Ukraine. Berkshire also bulked up its cash hoard, ending the year with $128.6 billion after selling about $16.3 billion of stocks in the fourth quarter. Quarterly operating profit fell 8% to $6.71 billion, or $4,596 per Class A share, from $7.29 billion. Berkshire projected that Geico, which shed 7% of its 41,000-person workforce last year, will generate an underwriting profit in 2023.

☆ Buffett's Berkshire loses money as stocks, Hurricane Ian offset rising demand
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nov 5 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) on Saturday posted a $2.69 billion third-quarter loss as rising inflation, falling stock investments and a big loss from Hurricane Ian offset improvement in many of the conglomerate's businesses. Berkshire also bought back more of its own stock but was cautious, repurchasing $1.05 billion, similar to the second quarter. Berkshire also said rising costs from fuel and accidents hurt respective results at two of its best-known businesses, the BNSF railroad and Geico auto insurer. Results included $10.45 billion of losses from investments and derivatives, as the stock prices of many large Berkshire investments other than Apple Inc (AAPL.O) fell. Results improved despite a $2.7 billion after-tax loss from Ian, a strong Category 4 hurricane that slammed into Florida on Sept. 28.

☆ Buffett's Berkshire loses money as stocks, Hurricane Ian offset higher demand
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Nov 5 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) on Saturday posted a $2.69 billion third-quarter loss as rising inflation, falling stock investments and a big loss from Hurricane Ian offset improvement in many of the conglomerate's businesses. It also bought back more of its own stock but was cautious, repurchasing $1.05 billion, similar to the second quarter. It also said rising costs hurt results at two of its best-known businesses, the BNSF railroad and Geico auto insurer. That helped offset a $2.7 billion after-tax loss from Ian, a strong Category 4 hurricane that slammed into Florida on Sept. 28. Net results included $10.45 billion of losses from investments and derivatives, as the stock prices of many large Berkshire investments other than Apple Inc (AAPL.O) fell.

☆ Berkshire Hathaway posts quarterly loss as stocks, Hurricane Ian weigh
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 5 (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) on Saturday posted a third-quarter loss, as falling stock investments and a big loss from Hurricane Ian offset improvement in many of its industrial businesses. Berkshire posted a quarterly net loss of $2.69 billion, or $1,832 per Class A share, compared with a profit of $10.34 billion, or $6,882 per share, a year earlier. Geico, meanwhile, suffered its fifth straight quarterly underwriting loss, reflecting "significant cost inflation" from damages claims, used car prices and shortages of car parts. Net results included $10.45 billion of losses from investments and derivatives, as the stock prices of many large Berkshire investments fell. This causes large quarterly swings in results that Buffett says are usually meaningless.

☆ Warren Buffett's 91st year marked by a huge focus on Berkshire Hathaway's energy empire
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-30 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Warren Buffett turns 92 on Tuesday, having spent the past year expanding further his Berkshire Hathaway energy empire, making a classic value investor's bet. Plus, many energy stocks have found themselves with torrents of cash flow since the economy reopened following Covid lockdowns. "All of this just sounds like the perfect Berkshire Hathaway stock." If Berkshire continues to ramp up its Occidental investments and makes the position a controlling one, it probably reflects the influence of Greg Abel, Buffett's likely successor who has been leading the conglomerate's energy unit Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Berkshire acquired MidAmerican Energy in 1999, and Abel became CEO of MidAmerican Energy in 2008, six years before it was renamed Berkshire Hathaway Energy in 2014.

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