Chapter 298 An Investment Worth Over $40 Billion
Berkshire Hathaway Company—56,000 shares!
"These stocks," Altair explained, "are all investments made by the Altair family and have no relation to DHL Group.
If Mr. Lin is interested, we can offer them in exchange.
For example, this ATT Company is a well-known retail company in France, and this Sanan Electric Corporation is a famous Japanese electronics R&D and manufacturing enterprise—both have excellent future prospects..."
Altair quickly gave Lin Haoran a brief introduction to each one.
It was clear he was presenting stocks they deemed less valuable.
"I've looked over the list.
Out of everything, I'm only interested in this one.
If Mr. Altair is willing to exchange it, we might proceed.
But the number of shares you hold isn't enough to cover much, and we haven't even discussed Supplee Company's transaction price yet," Lin Haoran said with a smile.
Lin Haoran hadn't expected Altair, a representative of Squid Capital, to be holding 56,000 shares of Berkshire Hathaway.
At first glance, it didn't seem like much.
But it couldn't be underestimated—at that time, Berkshire Hathaway's total outstanding shares were less than 500,000, meaning Altair's family held over 10% of the company.
Moreover, Berkshire Hathaway was famously stingy with issuing new shares.
Under Warren Buffett's management, their investment returns were astonishingly high every year.
Even decades later, Berkshire Hathaway's total shares only tripled, reaching about 1.63 million shares, and its share price skyrocketed to over $700,000 per share.
Its total market value would surpass one trillion dollars!
Thus, these 56,000 shares were an extremely rare asset.
Lin Haoran had studied Berkshire Hathaway's history:
In 1964, the share price was $19.In December 1980, it reached $425.In December 1990, it closed at $6,675.In December 2000, it closed at $71,000.By April 29, 2016, it was $219,000.By December 2024, it reached $724,000.
Holding 56,000 shares until 2024 would make them worth over $40 billion!
At present, however, the shares were worth only about $24 million.
Most importantly, Berkshire Hathaway's stock was so rare that acquiring even a small quantity was extremely difficult.
And Altair was offering 56,000 shares!
"If Mr. Lin is interested in Berkshire Hathaway, we can exchange it based on the current market value.
Frankly, due to our family's recent investments, our cash flow is a bit tight, and otherwise, I wouldn't even consider parting with it," Altair explained.
He had realized it was impossible to acquire Lin Haoran's shares at a discount.
Thus, his new plan was to exchange part of their family assets for Lin Haoran's Supplee shares, easing the financial burden.
Using shares for payment instead of cash avoided taking out high-interest loans or panic-selling other holdings.
"I'm curious," Lin Haoran said.
"Why are you willing to part with Berkshire Hathaway stock?"
"Mr. Lin, it's no secret.
Although Berkshire Hathaway, under Warren Buffett, has performed very well—rising from a few dollars to over $400 per share—it has a major drawback: it never pays dividends.
Our family has held this stock for decades without ever receiving a single dividend.
While the share price appreciated significantly, without cashing out, it's just numbers on paper.
Originally, my father invested $1 million, and today it's worth over $20 million.
While the appreciation is satisfying, I have no intention of holding it forever," Altair explained frankly.
Lin Haoran nodded thoughtfully.
He hadn't known that Berkshire Hathaway had a strict no-dividend policy.
No wonder Altair wanted to sell.
Still, Lin Haoran couldn't help wondering whether Altair would bitterly regret this decision decades later—after all, few could have foreseen that 56,000 shares would someday be worth over $40 billion.
Seeing how much stock Altair controlled, Lin Haoran was truly tempted.
He had to get it.
Berkshire Hathaway's potential was comparable to that of Apple.
And its shares were even rarer.
Even if Lin Haoran wanted to buy shares later through the open market, it would be extremely difficult.
Of course, Lin Haoran didn't show his eagerness.
He continued negotiating calmly in the small office.
Although he hadn't brought any skilled negotiators with him, Lin Haoran remained composed.
Most of his best deals had been personally negotiated anyway.
As long as he stuck to his bottom line, there was nothing to fear.
Likewise, Altair was negotiating alone, representing his family.
After an hour and a half of back-and-forth discussion, they reached an agreement.
Altair's family would transfer 56,000 shares of Berkshire Hathaway to Lin Haoran at the current market value, with the balance to be settled in cash by DHL Group.
In total, Lin Haoran's 49.9% stake in Supplee would be sold for £70 million.
For Altair, gaining control of Supplee was critical—if DHL could dominate the British market, it might even surpass Royal Mail someday.
For Lin Haoran, Supplee wasn't essential.
The opportunity to acquire the Berkshire Hathaway shares was far more valuable—a future return of over $40 billion!
Altair tried to convince Lin Haoran to accept additional shares from other companies, but Lin Haoran wasn't interested.
Many of those firms would likely be obscure or bankrupt within a few decades.
"Mr. Lin, if possible, I'd like to finalize the deal today," Altair urged anxiously.
He feared Lin Haoran might change his mind.
"Of course," Lin Haoran agreed readily.
Thus, Altair called his family's lawyer and DHL's legal representatives to Tang Tower, while Lin Haoran asked Uncle Tang to lend him a legal advisor for the signing.
By that evening, Lin Haoran's deal with Altair and DHL was sealed.
The outcome:
Lin Haoran sold all his shares in Supplee Company.In exchange, he received 56,000 Berkshire Hathaway shares.Plus £59.2 million in cash!
Considering that he had invested only £27.8 million in Supplee, Lin Haoran made an instant profit of £31.4 million—about HKD 370 million.
Thus, his UK trip, though less profitable than his previous trip to the U.S., was still a great success.
The 56,000 Berkshire Hathaway shares alone were worth far more than any short-term cash gain.
Meanwhile, Bill Stevens, Supplee's former chairman, was doomed.
If Lin Haoran had stayed, Stevens could have continued managing the company.
But now, with the shares sold to Altair and DHL, Stevens would inevitably be ousted.
Of course, Lin Haoran didn't care—he had no real bond with Bill Stevens.
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