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Buffett, Berkshire, Chubb | Fox Business

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Buffett, Berkshire, Chubb | Fox Business


When investors got wind of the news Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway added Chubb to its portfolio in May, the insurer became a new celebrity stock. 

The $6.72 billion stake of 25.9 million shares sent shares to an all-time high, and it’s currently trading just below that level. Buffett, known for buying companies for the long haul, puts Chubb in the ninth-largest position among his other marquee holdings, which include Coca-Cola, Apple and American Express.

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
CB CHUBB LTD. 254.08 -1.49 -0.58%
KO THE COCA-COLA CO. 63.33 +0.18 +0.29%
AAPL APPLE INC. 221.55 +1.28 +0.58%
AXP AMERICAN EXPRESS CO. 235.71 -0.26 -0.11%

While Buffett doesn’t explain why he buys or sells a particular stock when its disclosed, his past remarks give a sense of what he looks for, including companies considered “moats” unable to be matched or accessed by competitors. 

WARREN BUFFETT LIKES “MOATS” AND ELEPHANT-SIZED ACQUISITIONS

“In business, I look for economic castles protected by unbreachable ‘moats,'” Buffett said in a 1995 letter to shareholders. At the time, he gave a shoutout to his insurance company Geico for holding that title. 

His love for the insurance business isn’t new. He owns Geico, repped by the likable green reptile and General Re. So, what does the Oracle of Omaha see in Chubb? 

GEICO logo is seen on a smartphone

In this photo illustration, the Geico logo is displayed on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Is it the company’s 1.4% annual dividend? Nope, according to CEO Evan Greenberg, son of legendary 99-year-old former AIG CEO and insurance industry pioneer Hank Greenberg.

“We are actually a low yielding stock. You don’t buy us for dividends. It’s about 1.4%, He’s not buying it for the dividend,” Greenberg explained during an interview on ‘The Claman Countdown’ last month. 

What Buffett likely sees, Greenberg suggests, is years ahead of steady upside for the insurer. 

Double-digit earnings growth

“We’re actually a growth company. Our earnings have been growing in double-digits for the last few years, and, as we look forward, we’ll continue robust earnings growth,” said Greenberg, who also touted the multiple streams of income the insurer is fielding in the U.S. and abroad. 

Warren Buffet speaking

Warren Buffett is joined onstage by 24 other philanthropists and influential business people featured on the Forbes list of 100 Greatest Business Minds during the Forbes Media Centennial Celebration at Pier 60 Sept. 19, 2017, in New York City. (Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage / Getty Images)

Multiple streams of revenue growth, invested assets 

“We’re well diversified, property casualty/underwriting; one source of income. Our invested asset, as interest rates have risen and are at a rate than we’ve seen in a couple of decades. That’s another source of income,” he said. 

During the company’s first quarter, its pre-tax investment income rose over 25% to $1.39 billion, while adjusted net investment income jumped 23% to $1.48 billion. 

Life insurance business in U.S., Asia 

And then there’s Chubb’s bread and butter.  

“We have a growing life insurance business in Asia. We are a global company, over 40% of business is outside the United States. We are the largest commercial insurer in the U.S., and 20% of our business is in Asia,” he said. 

Chubb shares have gained over 13% this year, slightly trailing the S&P 500’s 15%+ rise. Berkshire Hathaway is Chubb’s largest single shareholder, and Greenberg is the second, according to ThomsonOne.

The insurer is scheduled to report quarterly earnings July 24. 



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DriverSmith – Automatic Download & Update Drivers For Windows

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Housing supply jumps to 4-year high as homes sit unsold

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Housing supply jumps to 4-year high as homes sit unsold


The housing inventory shortage that has been plaguing the U.S. for years appears to finally be easing, but a significant factor behind what is driving up supply provides little encouragement that the stagnant market will get moving again anytime soon.

A new report from Redfin says the number of homes for sale jumped to a four-year high in November, surging 12.1% year over year. But the major reason for the increase is that most homes on the market just aren’t selling. 

Home sales

Redfin data shows housing supply hit a four-year high in November, but mostly because a majority of houses for sale have sat on the market for more than two months. ( Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images)

More than half (54.5%) of homes on the market last month had been listed for more than 60 days, with many deemed too expensive by would-be buyers. According to Redfin data, that is up 49.9% from a year ago, and is the highest share of stale inventory for a November since 2019.

The report said that the typical home that went under contract last month did so in 43 days, which is also the slowest November pace since 2019.

WANT TO BUY A HOME IN 2025? HERE’S WHERE MORTGAGE RATES WILL LAND

“A lot of listings on the market are either stale or uninhabitable. There’s a lot of inventory, but it doesn’t feel like enough,” said Meme Loggins, a Redfin Premier real estate agent in Portland, Oregon. 

“I explain to sellers that their house will sit on the market if it’s not fairly priced,” Loggins said. “Homes that are priced well and in good condition are flying off the market in three to five days, but homes that are overpriced can sit for over three months.”

MORTGAGE RATES RISE FOR SECOND STRAIGHT WEEK, HIGHEST SINCE JULY

The data shows Texas and Florida have the highest rates of old listings on the market. Miami has the greatest share of homes on the market for longer than 60 days than any other major metro at 63.8%, followed by Austin, which has 62.4% of listings that have sat for more than two months without going under contract.

Open house at a home for sale

The affordability crisis has led to the majority of the homes on the market sitting unsold for more than 60 days. (Fox News)

The housing market saw a flurry of activity driven by high demand during the pandemic, but has become stagnant as soaring home prices and mortgage rates have led to an ongoing affordability crisis that has pushed homeownership out of reach for many Americans.

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Housing costs repeatedly broke records in 2024, and a report from the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) annual survey of buyers and sellers found the share of first-time homebuyers dropped from 32% in 2023 to 24% in 2024, the lowest share since NAR began collecting data in 1981.

FOX Business’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.



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