Warren Buffett

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Warren Buffett: Why Buying Constellation Energy Group Is A Sweet Deal

by Floyd G. Brown, Advisory Panelist, Investment U
October 01, 2008: Issue # 863

Last week, I suggested you ignore Washington and “the bailout plan,” and do what great investors such as Warren Buffett do in times of crisis – buy stocks.

Based on reader response, you would have thought I recommended investing in the Titanic, and doubling down on the Hindenburg. My email inbox was full of remarks from people who thought I had lost my mind, such as, “There are idiots out there saying [the credit crisis is] ‘no problem’…you know who they are!!!”

I think he means me…

But this kind of reaction isn’t out of the ordinary. In times of intense fear – such as this week – contrarian investors often have opposing views from the crowd. And while many investors are running scared, legendary investor Warren Buffett is betting big. Let’s see what Buffett just bought on the cheap and how we can profitably do the same…

Warren Buffett’s $10 Billion Spending Spree

Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett’s holding company, spent nearly $10 billion in the last week. Not only did he spend $5 billion to acquire preferred stock in Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), but he also is backing MidAmerican Energy’s $4.7 billion buyout of Constellation Energy Group (NYSE: CEG) based in Baltimore.

Frankly, I find Warren Buffett’s investment strategy with this bid much more interesting than the Goldman Sachs deal, even though it is slightly smaller. In early January, shares of Constellation were trading at over $100, and yet its management accepted Buffett’s $26.50 a share offer earlier this month.

Constellation is a diversified energy company that owns an energy-trading unit. Its portfolio of energy generation plants covers the spectrum and includes the old-fashioned utility Baltimore Gas and Electric Company. Like many of the financial traders on Wall Street, the firm is a big user of borrowed capital. And because of this Constellation was slammed by the credit crisis.

Constellation’s CEO, Mayo Shattuck III, told The Wall Street Journal last week that he was forced to sell to Buffett after a “classic run on the bank.” Investors dumped shares, fearing CEG wouldn’t be able to get a $2 billion bank loan necessary to fund its energy-trading operation.

The additional cash was needed so the investment ratings agency wouldn’t downgrade the firm from investment grade. If that had happened, it would have increased Constellation’s collateral requirements by $3 billion – thereby putting it into bankruptcy.

“We engaged in discussions,” Mr. Shattuck said, “as we perceived we might not be in commercial operations for long.” According to Shattuck, Warren Buffett moved quickly and injected $1 billion in capital the day after the deal was inked.

Let me explain why this deal is so amazing…

Warren Buffett & The Constellation Energy Deal

The Constellation Energy deal will give MidAmerican control of five nuclear reactors, two in Maryland and three in New York. Plus they get:

A large portfolio of coal and gas plants stretching from coast to coast.
Baltimore Gas & Electric.
And a profitable energy trading operation all for less than it would cost to build one nuclear plant.

Currently Constellation controls 9,000 MW of power generating capacity. To build or replace these assets would cost billions more than Buffett is paying.

Warren Buffett Starts A Bidding War

In fact, Warren Buffett is getting such a great deal on Constellation Energy that a bidding war is erupting.

Électricité de France International, the French power giant and Constellation Energy Group’s largest shareholder, is making its own offer to buy the firm for much more than the $4.7 billion accepted by management from MidAmerican. EDFI said it is offering $35 per share to buy Constellation. The only problem is Constellation’s board has already agreed to go ahead with MidAmerican, and they’ve already cashed Buffett’s billion-dollar check.

In addition, there are tough regulations prohibiting foreign companies from owning nuclear assets in the United States… Good luck to the French and Constellation’s other shareholders intent on breaking up this deal. (This morning, Constellation traded at $23.75, a 11.58% discount to Buffett’s buyout price. Which could open the door to some short-term arbitrage gains – as the market still hasn’t made up its mind about the buyout.)

Bottom line, there are lots of extraordinary deals right now, but it can take an iron constitution to be a buyer in this environment. If investment greats like Warren Buffett are investing without fear, then we should be doing the same. So I encourage you to look for companies trading for far less than they are worth.

They are out there for the bargain minded investor.

Good investing,

Floyd

PS. Why is CEG trading at a discount? Stay tuned. Next week, I’ll look at arbitrage situations… And how to profit from them.

Today’s Investment U Crib Sheet

Warren Buffett once said, “Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it.” And that is exactly how he has approached his recent railroad purchases. In Investment U Issue #846 Floyd showed us that there are still vast fortunes to be made in the transportation sector, and why Buffett has been loading up on them.
Buffett is infamous for buying companies trading at a discount to their value. And for the average investor, it can be hard to tell whether a company is under- or over-valued by looking at the stock price. But, by understanding a few sections on a company’s annual report, you can understand the financial picture of any company, just like he does.
The current market downturn has created an environment where thousands of stocks are trading at multiyear lows. But finding the good ones can be difficult. To find these diamonds in the rough, learn how to screen stocks like a professional.
Earlier this month, Alex Green showed us why Buffett has been the single greatest investor of our lifetimes. Alex also walked us through Warren Buffett’s investment strategy, what kind of questions he asks, and the three reasons he’s buying right now.