Shareholders in Berkshire Hathaway

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In order to give the advices on how the purchase of PacifiCorp affects the value of shares in Berkshire Hathaway, I will analyze some critical issues related to this case. Intrinsic Value The return on equity and the cost of equity must be determined to calculate the appropriate intrinsic value of PacifiCorp. Table 1 shows the appropriate intrinsic value of PacifiCorp. I assume the initial investment of $9.4 billion is discounted for the 10 year time horizon. During 10 years, the investors will reinvest all the cash flows into the company, so maintaining the growth of 7.45% each year. The return on equity used for the valuation is the rate of 7.45% which is the return on PacifiCorp equity on 2005. For the cost of equity, the capital would be invested in MidAmerican if the company did not take the acquisition. Therefore, I consider the rate of return on MidAmerican on 2004 (5.72%) as the cost of equity of PacifiCorp. Dividing the present value of future cash flows by the cost of the investment indicates that every dollar invested buys securities worth $1.18. Value is created. Table 1 The appropriate intrinsic value of PacifiCorp Assume: 1. 10-year investment horizon, when you liquidate at “book” or accumulated investment value 2. initial investment is $9.4 billion 3. no dividends are paid, all cash flows are reinvested 4. return on equity = 7.45% 5. cost of equity = 5.72% Year 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Investment or Book Equity Value 9.4 10.1 10.9 11.7 12.5 13.5 14.5 15.5 16.7 17.9 19.3 Market Value (or Intrinsic Value) = Present value @ 5.72% of 19.3 = $11.07 Market/Book = $11.07/9.4 = $1.18 Value created: $1.00 invested becomes $1.18 in market value. Discounted Cash Flow Appendix 1 shows the discounted cash flow for following 15 years. I assume the

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