The Denver Post

Warren Buffett’s investing continues to evolve even at 87

- By Josh Funk

OMAHA, NEB.» Warren Buffett is still finding new places to invest decades after he started, even though his basic approach of finding businesses selling for less than they are worth hasn’t changed much.

Buffett resisted investing in tech companies for years because he didn’t think he could pick which ones would be enduring winners, but now his Berkshire Hathaway conglomera­te is a major Apple shareholde­r because he views Apple as a consumer products company with loyal customers.

The billionair­e used to joke that airlines were such a bad investment that someone should have shot down the Wright brothers. Today, Berkshire holds investment­s in several major airlines.

Berkshire investors have generally profited as Buffett found new ways to put the company’s money to work over the years, although he has made mistakes along the way. Berkshire could reveal some more surprises when the Omaha, Nebraska-based company details its stock holdings in a quarterly regulatory filing which is expected to be made Tuesday.

The biggest change Berkshire made to its stock portfolio this year has been adding to its Apple holdings. Some of the smaller changes that get disclosed, such as the new stake in Teva Pharmaceut­icals that Berkshire bought last year, might be the work of the company’s two other money managers.

“The fact that he’s changing is a good thing,” said George Morgan, a finance professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a former investment adviser.

Buffett was criticized in the 1990s for missing out on the boom in technology stocks, but the 87-yearold’s caution proved sensible a few years later when the tech bubble burst.

The way Buffett explains it, he keeps three boxes on his desk: in, out and too hard. That last box is where tech companies had always lived until Buffett invested in IBM stock in 2011.

“Even with hindsight, it’s a little hard to figure out, you know, who was going to make all the money,” Buffett said at the 2007 annual meeting. “There’s just games that are too tough.”

Buffett says now that he should have recognized Google’s potential as an investment because Berkshire’s Geico insurance company was an early customer of the search engine and selling ads is a business he understand­s. But Berkshire still hasn’t invested in Google because the company sells at a premium now.

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