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On May 16th, Berkshire Hathaway made a significant purchase of Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) in its first quarter under Greg Abel, who succeeded Warren Buffett as CEO, returning to the airline the group had invested in years ago. Abel, who became CEO in January, stated in his first letter to shareholders in February that Apple, American Express, Coca-Cola, and Moodys were among his "core" holdings, and that Berkshire would continue its "concentrated holdings" strategy. As of the end of March, Berkshires newly acquired Delta holding was valued at approximately $2.6 billion, still relatively small compared to its largest holding. Despite rising fuel costs due to the Iran-Iraq conflict putting pressure on airline stocks this year, Deltas share price has still risen 1.2%. During Buffetts tenure, Berkshire invested in several major airlines, including Delta, and was once its largest shareholder. In 2020, Berkshire liquidated all its airline holdings. At that time, the COVID-19 pandemic brought air travel to a near standstill, and Buffett said, "The world of the aviation industry has changed."On May 16, it was reported that law enforcement agencies from China and the Philippines recently cooperated to arrest and repatriate Chen, suspected of organizing cross-border gambling. Chen, along with others, established an illegal gambling website overseas, recruiting thousands of mainland Chinese gamblers and maliciously setting withdrawal thresholds to reap huge profits. The amount involved exceeded 200 million yuan. Chinese law prohibits all forms of gambling, forbids Chinese capital investment in local casinos, prohibits Chinese citizens from participating in the operation of local casinos, and prohibits local casinos from recruiting Chinese citizens to gamble. The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines will continue to strengthen law enforcement cooperation with the Philippine side to jointly combat cross-border gambling activities.Market news: Explosions were heard in Baghdad, Iraq.According to Iranian media reports, Iran stated that shipping will return to normal once the instability in the Strait of Hormuz ends.On May 16th, Yonhap News Agency reported that Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong called for unity within the company on Saturday. Currently, Samsungs labor union is deadlocked over wage negotiations and plans a large-scale strike next week. "Now is the wise time to unite our strength and move in the same direction," Lee said. "Union members, members of the Samsung family, we are one, we are one family." He also apologized to the companys customers and the public for concerns raised by "internal" issues. Samsungs largest labor union stated on Friday that despite the companys offer to resume negotiations without preconditions, the union will proceed with its planned strike next week. The strike is scheduled to begin next Thursday and last for 18 days, potentially disrupting production at the worlds largest memory chip manufacturer.

Phillips 66 Trademarks Mark Lashier will Succeed Greg Garland as CEO

Haiden Holmes

Apr 13, 2022 09:44

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Lashier, a chemical engineer who joined the firm three decades ago in the chemicals division, was named president and chief operating officer a year ago after leading Chevron Phillips Chemical Co, the company's joint venture with Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX), since 2017.


Garland has considered refining as a mature company and has concentrated its efforts on expanding its energy infrastructure, chemicals, and establishing a presence in electric vehicle battery components. It spent around $150 million last year for a 16.5% share in Novonix Ltd, an Australian provider of lithium-ion battery materials.


Garland "built a market-leading diversified energy manufacturing and logistics organization while investing for the future and producing solid financial returns," according to Glen Tilton, lead independent director of Philips 66.


Although the Houston company's non-refining initiatives have generated great shareholder returns, its shares have lately underperformed bigger competitors that benefitted from increasing gasoline margins during pandemic lockdowns.


Lashier is expected to pursue Garland's diversification approach, which includes biofuels, hydrogen, and battery components. However, he must demonstrate that he can match competitors Marathon Petroleum Corp (NYSE:MPC) and Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO), which increased shareholder returns by selling off retail operations and diversifying into renewable diesel, analysts said.


Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) traded at $81.97 on Tuesday, up 13% year to date, compared to 34% year-to-year gains at Marathon and Valero and around 96% year-to-date gains at PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF).


"Lashier's task is to increase the company's value," Matthew Blair, an analyst at Tudor Pickering Holt & Co., said. "He will face inquiries regarding the company's non-refining businesses' value and what he can do to boost stock price performance and capitalize on the potential valuation."

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