Is Warren Buffett thinking about buying Southwest Airlines?
You name it, he probably owns at least a part of it. From Mars Inc. and Coca-Cola to American Express and Geico. Well, it now seems billionaire investor Warren Buffett has his sights set on another industry takeover: the airline industry.
Last year, Buffett’s company – Berkshire Hathaway – started gobbling up airline stock, including Dallas-based Southwest and Fort Worth-based American Airlines.
In all, he spent billions and now owns just under 10% of both North Texas-based airlines.
And here’s a pro-tip for ya: when Buffett starts taking notice in a company, or an industry, there is good reason for it.
In fact – Morgan Stanley analysts seem to think Berkshire is angling for a full-scale acquisition of an airline, with Southwest being the most likely candidate.
But hey – this scenario isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Because Berkshire doesn’t really change much up when it buys a company.
“We have maybe 70, maybe 80 businesses. And we ask them to behave in a way doesn’t hurt our reputation at Berkshire, but they run their own lives,” said Buffett in a recent HBO documentary about the billionaire.
So, yeah, the headline is grabbing. But if it does happen don’t expect anything but continued success at whichever airline Berkshire Hathaway decides to board.
