巴菲特買入萬事達股份
一個重要的時機？|
????對于沃倫?巴菲特來說也是這樣。巴菲特的伯克希爾哈撒韋公司（Berkshire Hathaway）今年第一季度斥資5400萬美元，買入了美國第二大信用卡支付網絡運營商萬事達（Mastercard）的一部分股份。托德?康布斯是伯克希爾哈撒韋公司多年以來的第一位新投資經理，這次買入萬事達的股份，也是康布斯走馬上任后首次出手購股。 ????伯克希爾哈撒韋公司本周一在一份提交給美國證交會（Securities and Exchange Commission）的文件中寫道，該公司以每股約252美元的均價，買入了216000股萬事達的股份。 ????巴菲特曾在信用卡領域犯過一兩次錯誤，巴菲特本人在去年的年度報告中也提到了這些錯誤。他曾經試圖推出美國政府雇員保險公司（Geico）信用卡，但是這次嘗試一敗涂地，讓伯克希爾哈撒韋公司一共損失了5000萬美元。 ????不過伯克希爾哈撒韋公司對萬事達的投資目前看來前景還不錯。萬事達的股份去年上漲了31%（見右圖）。本周一，萬事達的股票以每股279美元收盤，隨后又在盤后交易中上漲到281美元。這意味著伯克希爾哈撒韋公司投在萬事達身上的賭本雖然不算很多，但眼下就已經斬獲了近600萬美元。 ????大盤的上揚也帶動了伯克希爾哈撒韋公司其他股票資產的市值。伯克希爾哈撒韋公司表示，在今年3月31日，該公司的上市股市值為536億美元，比去年12月31日上漲了10億美元。 ????從現有的資料看來，萬事達是伯克希爾哈撒韋公司今年第一季度買入的唯一一支新股。而從去年年末到今年的3月31日，該公司所持有的其它股票（伯克希爾哈撒韋公司持有可口可樂和寶潔等大公司的大量股份）的倉位都沒有明顯變化。 ????這一點與伯克希爾哈撒韋公司的上一份季度報告相比有了很大變化。在上一季度，由于負責Geico項目的投資主管盧?辛普森在退休前賣掉了許多股份，因而上季度的季報顯示，伯克希爾哈撒韋公司的許多股票倉位都發生了變化。 ????觀察巴菲特的投資軌跡的人們一直想知道，新投資經理康布斯給伯克希爾哈撒韋公司帶來的影響，究竟會從何時開始從這些投資季報中顯現出來。人們或許可以從本周一的伯克希爾哈撒韋公司提交給證交會的文件中略見一斑，但在這份文件中，人們很難找到有關康布斯的個人風格的線索。只有隨著時間的推移，人們才能知道他的投資風格。 ????譯者：樸成奎 |
????So it is with Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) spent $54 million in the first quarter buying shares of the No. 2 U.S. card payment-network operator, Mastercard (MA). The purchase could mark the Berkshire stock-buying debut of Todd Combs, the company's first new portfolio manager in years. ????Berkshire bought 216,000 shares of Mastercard at an average price of around $252 apiece, the company said Monday in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. ????Buffett has made a mistake or two in the credit card business, as he noted in last year's annual report. He once tried to offer a Geico credit card in a debacle that cost Berkshire $50 million, all told. ????But so far, so good on this wager: Mastercard shares, up 31% over the past year (see chart, right), closed at $279 Monday before advancing to $281 in after-hours trading. That means Berkshire is up almost $6 million on its modest Mastercard bet. ????The market rally has lifted the value of the rest of the portfolio as well. Berkshire's listed stocks were valued $53.6 billion at March 31, the company said, up $1 billion from Dec. 31. ????The Mastercard purchase is the only new stock that appears in the quarterly listing of Berkshire's holdings. None of the company's other stock positions, led by big stakes in giant companies such as Coca-Cola (KO) and Procter & Gamble (PG), changed materially between year-end and March 31. ????That marks a change from the previous quarterly report, which showed numerous changes as Geico investment chief Lou Simpson sold shares ahead of his retirement. ????Buffett watchers have been wondering when the influence of Berkshire's new portfolio manager, Combs, would start showing up in these quarterly reports. Monday's filing may offer a glimpse, but it offers few clues as to Combs' style. Those will have to come over time. |
