Wesco Financial CorporationWSC

Morningstar Rating

Stock Research and Analysis

by Bill Bergman

Wesco Financial is a holding company whose subsidiaries rent furniture, bend metal, and underwrite insurance. Wesco is 80%-owned by Berkshire Hathaway BRK.B, and Wesco's CEO and chairman Charles Munger has long been a close partner of Warren Buffett. Read more

Bulls Say

Wesco's large cash stake proved a wise investment in the last two years. With recent market declines, there's no other team we'd want picking over cheap stocks on our behalf.

Wesco Financial Insurance participates in unusually attractive insurance arrangements because of its Berkshire links as well as its own solid capital position.

Wesco has developed an infrastructure befitting a significantly larger insurer on its own accord. Read more

Bears Say

Munger and Buffett simply can't be replaced.

The reinsurance business has seen a flood of new entrants in the last decade, and Wesco's previously entrenched position is at greater risk. Read more

Strategy

Wesco has employed financial strength, underwriting effectiveness, and investment success to develop superior returns for shareholders. Its high capital position has enabled it to participate in reinsurance Read more

Management

Charles Munger, chairman and CEO of Wesco since 1984, is one of the most well-respected leaders in either the insurance or investment industries. Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett contributes to Wesco's capital-allocation and investment decisions. Read more

Profile

Wesco is a holding company that owns insurance, furniture rental, and steel service businesses. Wes-FIC offers super-catastrophe reinsurance. Kansas Bankers Surety provides Read more

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