A Dozen Targets for a Buffett-esque Elephant Hunt

An article in Barron’s lists twelve potential “elephant sized” acquisitions for Berkshire Hathaway to consider based on analysis by a Credit Suisse team of analysts.

The team, called HOLT, created a framework intended to find what the article describes as “Buffet-compatible stocks” using a financial metric referred to as “cash flow return on investment” (CFROI)-which they believe offers a clearer picture of a firm’s underlying strength than earnings metrics and is similar to the framework used by Buffett himself.

According to the HOLT analysts, “Buffett buys companies with strong management teams, high returns on equity, little or not debt, stable margins, and easy-to-understand business models,” the article reports, although Berkshire offered no comment on the report. HOLT’s analysis generated a list of 141 potential Berkshire acquisitions in several sectors. The twelve largest are listed in the article and include TJX, Target, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and BlackRock.