Warren Buffett-owned companies at Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting 2024

Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting took place on May 4. Around 70,000 to 80,000 people from all over the world gather at CHI Health Center, Omaha, US, where the BRK annual meeting is hosted every year. With over 20,000 square feet of showroom space and more than 50,000 items of inventory, the exhibit hall at the CHI features goodies from various Berkshire holding companies. Only shareholders can participate in the event and buy items at a special discount. Let’s take a look at a few of the companies.

See’s Candies was introduced by Charlie Munger to Warren Buffett, changing his investment style forever, from looking for cheap stocks the Ben Graham way to paying up for quality. Berkshire Hathaway acquired See’s Candies in 1972 for $25 million. See’s features old-time candies and best sellers include assorted boxed chocolates and lollipops.

Fruit of the Loom was acquired by Berkshire in 2001 from bankruptcy protection. The company manufactures clothing, particularly casual wear and underwear. In 2011 Buffett wore an ‘underwear’ tie on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box.’ The company was registered in 1871 as an official trademark, becoming the world’s one of the oldest brands—predating the invention of light bulbs, cars and telephones.

Berkshire Hathaway acquired a 60 percent stake in Marmon Holdings for $4.5 billion in 2007. Since the acquisition, the manufacturing and services group has grown its business to operate more than 100 autonomous manufacturing and services companies.

Berkshire Hathaway bought Burlington Northern Sante Fe (BNSF) railways, one of the largest freight railroad networks in North America, for $44 billion in 2010.

Warren Buffett’s BRK acquired Borsheims, an upscale jewellery store in Omaha, Nebraska in 1989 for $28.5 million. On The BRK weekend on Sunday, Buffett mans the counter to “sell” jewellery to customers.

Berkshire Hathaway bought Duracell from Procter & Gamble in 2016, offering the consumer giant $4.7 billion of the shares it owned in P&G in exchange for the battery maker.