Significant business acquisitions

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Significant business acquisitions

Note 3.    Significant business acquisitions

Our long-held acquisition strategy is to purchase businesses with consistent earning power, good returns on equity and able and honest management at sensible prices.

On September 16, 2011, Berkshire completed the acquisition of The Lubrizol Corporation (“Lubrizol”). The acquisition was pursuant to a merger agreement, whereby Berkshire agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Lubrizol common stock for cash of $135 per share (approximately $8.7 billion in the aggregate). Lubrizol, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is an innovative specialty chemical company that produces and supplies technologies to customers in the global transportation, industrial and consumer markets. These technologies include additives for engine oils, other transportation-related fluids and industrial lubricants, as well as additives for gasoline and diesel fuel. In addition, Lubrizol makes ingredients and additives for personal care products and pharmaceuticals; specialty materials, including plastics; and performance coatings. Lubrizol’s industry-leading technologies in additives, ingredients and compounds enhance the quality, performance and value of customers’ products, while reducing their environmental impact. Lubrizol’s financial results were included in our Consolidated Financial Statements beginning as of September 16, 2011.

We have owned a controlling interest in Marmon Holdings, Inc. (“Marmon”) since 2008. In the first quarter of 2011, we increased our ownership in Marmon to 80.2% as a result of acquiring 16.6% of Marmon’s outstanding common stock for approximately $1.5 billion. We will acquire substantially all of the remaining noncontrolling interests of Marmon in 2013 and/or 2014 for an amount that will be based on its future operating results. In June 2011, we acquired all of the then outstanding noncontrolling interests in Wesco Financial Corporation for aggregate consideration of $543 million consisting of cash of approximately $298 million and 3,253,472 shares of Berkshire Class B common stock.