Conclusion
Conventional thinking held that it would be difficult for Warren Buffett to maintain his record of 24% annual growth in shareholder wealth. Buffett acknowledged that “a fat wallet is the enemy of superior investment results.”33 He stated that it was the firm’s goal to meet a 15% annual growth rate in intrinsic value. Would the PacifiCorp acquisition serve the long-term goals of Berkshire Hathaway? Was the bid price appropriate? Because PacifiCorp was privately held by Scottish Power, how did Berkshire’s offer measure up against the company’s valuation implied by the multiples for comparable firms? What might account for the share price increase for Berkshire Hathaway at the announcement?