Buffett Buying More Burlington

Posted by Bull Bear Trader | 11/01/2008 07:24:00 AM | , , , , | 0 comments »

The Inside Scoop feature at Barron's (see article) is reporting on how Warren Buffett has increased his position in Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI). Earlier this week, Buffett bought another 825,000 shares, bring his total position to about 19% of the company. Not only does this recent transaction put approximately one-fifth of the company in strong hands, but Buffett has also recently sold 5.5 million puts in October, with strike prices ranging from $75-$80. The put position effectively places a floor on the stock, since if the past is any indication, the position implies that Buffett is comfortable being a buyer at these strike price levels.

As with the rest of the market, Burlington has fallen over the last month, but not as much as some of its biggest competitors. Since Burlington hauls a higher percentage of coal and fertilizer, as well as other domestic goods, analysts believe they will most likely not be hit as hard by a global recession. Furthermore, any return to higher fuel costs, which will impact global growth, could also help Burlington weather any further downturn as companies continue to shift from trucking to the rails for transporting their goods. As the chart below shows (from BigCharts.com), BNI, the DJIA, and the Dow Transports (DJTA) have diverged somewhat since the beginning of the year.

Source: BigCharts.com

Often the DJIA will follow the transports, but in this case the market sell-off in October has caused the transports to catch-up on the downside with the general market. BNI fared a little better during this time. Each has gained over the last week. Of interest is how the transports are bumping up against resistance levels in place since January, whereas BNI has actually found some support at these levels. If the market can break these levels and continue to build a bottom in November (or even begin to rally), and the six months from November to April do turn out to be bullish after the heuristic-based "sell in May and go away - until November" trades are unwound, than BNI may not only be a potential recession play, but it may also help to lead the market over the next year. Nothing is fool proof, but with the winds of Buffett, energy (coal), and ethanol (fertilizer) at your back, the profit trains could start rolling again for BNI stock holders.

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