Pd buffett 2

The Complete History of Warren Buffett's Investments and Acquisitions

  • Makes first stock purchase

    Makes first stock purchase

    At only 11 years old, Warren makes his first investment in Cities Services. He buys 3 preferred shares for himself and three for his sister at $38; he ends up selling at $40, only to watch the stock climb past $200 over the coming months.
  • Buys land for the first time

    Buys land for the first time

    After saving up $1,200 from selling Washington Post newspapers, Buffett buys 40 acres of farmland in Omaha.
  • Establishes Buffett Associates, Ltd.

    Establishes Buffett Associates, Ltd.

    Buffett creates his first partnership and pools a total of $105,000 from seven family members and friends. He invests $100 of his own money. By 1961 he is running seven partnerships, which he proceeds to merge into one.
  • Buys house

    Buys house

    Buffett purchases a five-bedroom, stucco house in Omaha, Nebraska for $31,500. He still owns and lives in it to this day.
  • Invests in Sanborn Map Company

    Invests in Sanborn Map Company

    Buffett purchases a major stake in the New York-based publisher of maps used to estimate fire insurance liabilities.
  • Invests in Dempster Mill Manufacturing

    Invests in Dempster Mill Manufacturing

    Buffett makes his first $1 million dollar investment in the Omaha-based windmill manufacturer. He sells the company in 1963 for $2.3 million after it turns profitable.
  • Starts buying Berkshire Hathaway

    Starts buying Berkshire Hathaway

    Buffett stumbles upon the struggling textile manufacturing company and begins buying shares at $7.50. The Buffett partnerships become largest shareholder of the company by 1963.
  • Invest in American Express

    Invest in American Express

    After a fraud scandal collapses American Express shares to $35, Buffett steps in and buys a 5% stake for roughly $13 million. The stock hits $180 a share in 1967, raking in a $20 million profit for the partnership.
  • Invests in Walt Disney Co.

    Invests in Walt Disney Co.

    After personally meeting with Walt himself, Buffett buys a 5% stake in the entertainment company for $4 million.
  • Buys Hochschild Kohn & Co.

    Buys Hochschild Kohn & Co.

    Buffett acquires the Baltimore-based department store in a deal worth approximately $6 million.
  • Buys National Indemnity Company

    Buys National Indemnity Company

    Buffett acquires the Omaha-based insurance company in its entirety for $8.6 million.
  • Acquires Illinois National Bank

    Acquires Illinois National Bank

    Buffett purchases a 98% stake in the regional bank for $15.5 million.
  • Acquires See's Candy

    Acquires See's Candy

    Buffett buys the San Francisco-based candy and chocolate maker for $25 million.
  • Invests in The Washington Post Companies

    Invests in The Washington Post Companies

    Buffett began buying shares of the newspaper company and by the end of the year Berkshire had a 10% stake reportedly worth around $10 million.
  • Invests in GEICO

    Invests in GEICO

    Buffett starts buying stock at around $2 a share when the insurer was on the brink of bankruptcy. By 1980, Berkshire's 33% stake, worth roughly $47 million, had grown to a whopping $105 million.
  • Purchases Buffalo News for $32.5 million

    Purchases Buffalo News for $32.5 million

    Buffett acquires the Niagara Falls metropolitan area newspaper for $32.5 million.
  • Invests in ABC News Network

    Invests in ABC News Network

    Buffett starts buying shares in the TV network company.
  • Buys Nebraska Furniture Mart

    Buys Nebraska Furniture Mart

    Buffett purchases an 80% stake in his hometown furniture maker for $55 million.
  • Acquires Scott & Fertzer

    Acquires Scott & Fertzer

    Buffett buys the Cleveland-based diversified manufacturing company for $320 million. The firm's products include World Book encyclopedia, Kirby vacuum cleaners, and Ginsu knives among many others.
  • Buys Fechheimer Brothers Company

    Buys Fechheimer Brothers Company

    Buffett purchases an 84% stake in the Cincinnati-based manufacturer and distributor of public safety and military uniforms for $46 million.
  • Invests in Salomon Brothers

    Invests in Salomon Brothers

    Buffett purchases a 12% stake in the troubled investment bank for $700 million and works hard to turn the firm around amid a flurry of scandals shaking up Wall Street. Berkshire sold the firm to Travelers in 1997, with the original investment having grown to $1.7 billion.
  • Invests in Coca-Cola

    Invests in Coca-Cola

    Buffett purchases a 7% stake in the iconic beverage company in a deal reportedly worth just over $1 billion. Two decades later, Berkshire is still holding the position, which has grown to over $10 billion.
  • Invests in USAir Group

    Invests in USAir Group

    Buffett enters the airline industry with a $358 million investment in the Arizona-based holding company. In retrospect, he admits this is one of his worst investments ever.
  • Buys Borsheim's Jewelry

    Buys Borsheim's Jewelry

    Buffett purchases an 80% stake in his hometown jewelry store for an undisclosed amount and tells management, "Don't change a thing."
  • Invests in Gillette

    Invests in Gillette

    Buffett purchases an 11% stake in the Boston-based razor maker for $600 million in preferred stock.
  • Invests in Champion International

    Invests in Champion International

    Buffett purchases an 8% stake in the Connecticut-based forest-products company for $300 million. At the time of the deal, the company boasts shaky fundamentals, but Buffett has his eye on several million acres of timberland that are on the books.

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