Warren Buffett: Book Value and Intrinsic Value

Book Value and Intrinsic Value

     We regularly report our per-share book value, an easily calculable number, though one of limited use.  Just as regularly, we tell you that what counts is intrinsic value, a number that is impossible to pinpoint but essential to estimate.

     For example, in 1964, we could state with certitude that Berkshire's per-share book value was $19.46.  However, that figure considerably overstated the stock's intrinsic value since all of the company's resources were tied up in a sub-profitable textile business.  Our textile assets had neither going-concern nor liquidation values equal to their carrying values.  In 1964, then, anyone inquiring into the soundness of Berkshire's balance sheet might well have deserved the answer once offered up by a Hollywood mogul of dubious reputation:  "Don't worry, the liabilities are solid."

     Today, Berkshire's situation has reversed: Many of the businesses we control are worth far more than their carrying value.  (Those we don't control, such as Coca-Cola or Gillette, are carried at current market values.)  We continue to give you book value figures, however, because they serve as a rough,  understated, tracking measure for Berkshire's intrinsic value. 

     We define intrinsic value as the discounted value of the cash that can be taken out of a business during its remaining life.  Anyone calculating intrinsic value necessarily comes up with a highly subjective figure that will change both as estimates of future cash flows are revised and as interest rates move.  Despite its fuzziness, however, intrinsic value is all-important and is the only logical way to evaluate the relative attractiveness of investments and businesses.

     To see how historical input (book value) and future output (intrinsic value) can diverge, let's look at another form of investment, a college education.  Think of the education's cost as its "book value."  If it is to be accurate, the cost should include the earnings that were foregone by the student because he chose college rather than a job.

     For this exercise, we will ignore the important non-economic benefits of an education and focus strictly on its economic value.  First, we must estimate the earnings that the graduate will receive over his lifetime and subtract from that figure an estimate of what he would have earned had he lacked his education.  That gives us an excess earnings figure, which must then be discounted, at an appropriate interest rate, back to graduation day.  The dollar result equals the intrinsic economic value of the education.

      Some graduates will find that the book value of their education exceeds its intrinsic value, which means that whoever paid for the education didn't get his money's worth.  In other cases, the intrinsic value of an education will far exceed its book value, a result that proves capital was wisely deployed.  In all cases, what is clear is that book value is meaningless as an indicator of intrinsic value.

     Now let's get look at Scott Fetzer, an example from Berkshire's own experience.  This account will not only illustrate how the relationship of book value and intrinsic value can change but also will provide an accounting lesson.  Naturally, I've chosen here to talk about an acquisition that has turned out to  be a huge winner.

    The reasons for Ralph's success are not complicated.  Ben Graham taught me 45 years ago that in investing it is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.  In later life, I have been surprised to find that this statement holds true in business management as well.  What a  manager must do is handle the basics well and not get diverted.  That's precisely Ralph's formula.  He establishes the right goals and never forgets what he set out to do.  On the personal side, Ralph is a joy to work with.  He's forthright about problems and is self-confident without being self-important.   He is also experienced.  Though I don't know Ralph's age, I do know that, like many of our managers, he is over 65.  At Berkshire, we look to performance, not to the calendar.  Charlie and I now keep George Foreman's picture on our desks.  You can make book that our scorn for a mandatory retirement age will grow stronger every year.