The 16th Annual Gabelli Omaha Value Investor Conference brought together a panel of Buffettologists and value investors the day before Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting. Moderated by Gabelli Portfolio Manager Macrae Sykes, the discussion featured insights from:
- Chris Bloomstran, President, Semper Augustus Investments
- Adam Mead, Author of The Complete Financial History of Berkshire Hathaway
- Brett Gardner, Author of Buffett's Early Investments
- Pieter Slegers, Founder of Compounding Quality
Below are some highlights from the panel.
Check out our coverage of the 2025 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting and other exciting Omaha value investing events here.
Berkshire’s $318 Billion Cash Pile: A Blessing or a Burden?
The panel opened with a familiar question: What should Berkshire Hathaway do with its growing cash stockpile? Brett Gardner noted Buffett's conservative stance reflects a lack of compelling opportunities, though he suspects Occidental Petroleum may eventually be acquired in full.
Gardner opined:
I think the cash balance was just a function of what Buffett sees in the market, which is that he's just not seeing a lot of great opportunities. I'm hoping that he put some cash to work over the past few months with the volatility. But my concern is that things didn't get cheap enough for him, so that cash balance can continue to grow and grow.
In terms of companies that I think that he should buy 100% of, I'd actually love to see him buy IKEA one day. I think he's going to buy 100% of Occidental one day.
