Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Berkshire Hathaway Makes More Profit in the 4Q 2017 Than the Entire Oil & Gas Sector ....................................................................................... Berkshire Hathaway's 4Q 2017 Net Income was $32.656 Bil, 27% Higher Than All 30 US Oil & Gas Corporations With Stock Market Caps Above $10 Bil Combined 4Q 2017 Total Net Income of $25.792 Bil


Corp
Quarter
End
When US GAAP
Trump Net
Tax Income
Cuts (Loss)
US Oil & Gas Corporation State Act Dec 17
With Recent Stock Market Caps Above $10 Bil City Hqs HQs Signed Quarter
mils $
Exxon Mobil Irving TX Dec 17            8,409
Chevron San Ramon CA Dec 17            3,118
Schlumberger Ltd Houston TX Dec 17          (2,272)
ConocoPhillips Houston TX Dec 17            1,598
EOG Resources' Houston TX Dec 17            2,430
Occidental Petroleum Houston TX Dec 17               497
Phillips 66 Houston TX Dec 17            3,255
Halliburton Houston TX Dec 17             (806)
Valero Energy San Antonio TX Dec 17            2,400
Kinder Morgan Inc Houston TX Dec 17             (992)
Marathon Petroleum Findlay OH Dec 17            2,125
Anadarko Petroleum The Woodlands TX Dec 17            1,039
Pioneer Natural Resources Irving TX Dec 17               665
BakerHughes Houston TX Dec 17               (82)
Williams Companies Tulsa OK Dec 17            1,622
ONEOK Inc Tulsa OK Dec 17                 65
Concho Resources Midland TX Dec 17               267
Continental Resources Oklahoma City OK Dec 17               842
Devon Energy Oklahoma City OK Dec 17               304
Andeavor San Antonio TX Dec 17               908
Apache Houston TX Dec 17               518
Hess New York NY Dec 17          (2,635)
Marathon Oil Houston TX Dec 17               (28)
Cheniere Energy Houston TX Dec 17               280
National Oilwell Varco Houston TX Dec 17               (15)
Noble Energy Houston TX Dec 17               516
EQT Pittsburgh PA Dec 17            1,379
Diamondback Energy Midland TX Dec 17               130
Cabot Oil & Gas Houston TX Dec 17               (44)
Targa Resources Houston TX Dec 17               299
Total all 30 Oil & Gas Companies          25,792
Berkshire Hathaway Omaha NE Dec 17          32,656
….. % Higher in 4Q 2017 Net Income 27%









Monday, February 26, 2018

Berkshire Hathaway (BH) Trounces Its Global Company Competition in Recording the Highest 4Q 2017 Net Income of an Earth-Shattering $32.7 Bil (Mainly Due To the US Federal Income Tax Debt Forgiveness Feature in the Trump Tax Cuts Bill Which Impacts BH to the Tune of $35.6 Bil, With $29.6 Bil of It Being Included in BH's 4Q 2017 Net Income and the Other $6.0 Bil Being Related to Overpayments of Past Utility Bills Which the US Congress Voted to Not Immediately Refund This Money to Utility Customers, Many of Whom Have Already Died in the Past 20 Years and Received No Refunds or Will Die in the Next 30 Years and Thus Before They Receive All of the Economic Benefits of These Refunds (?) Clearly Owed Them) ....................................................................................... US Utility Customers All Over the US Overpaying Their Past Monthly Utility Bills For a Couple of Decades Should Vote Every Member of the US Congress Who Voted For This Oppressive Measure Out of Office in the November 2018 Elections ....................................................................................... If You Have a Loved One Who Has Passed Away in the Past 20 Years or Will Pass Away in the Next 30 Years, This Probably Impacts You and Others Personally ....................................................................................... Below Here are the Companies With Next 4 Highest 4Q 2017 Net Income Along With How They Got Such High Profits

#2 on the Highest 4Q 2017 Net Income List Was Apple, which generated 4Q 2017 Net Income of $20.1 Bil.

In Its Dec 2017 10Q filed with the SEC, Apple disclosed that it recorded as a reduction of its 4Q 2017 income tax expense, $1.8 Bil of US Federal Income Tax Debt Forgiveness Due to the Trump Tax Cuts Act.

But what it deceptively didn't disclose directly is that there is much more of this which was netted against its Mandatory Foreign Earnings Repatriation Toll Tax Expense which was disclosed as a net of only a meager $800 Mil which seems unbelievable when you consider that in its Sept 2017 10-K filed with the SEC, that it disclosed that as of Sept 30, 2017, it had a whopping $128.7 Bil of cumulative undistributed international earnings which are intended to be indefinitely invested outside the US for which it has not recorded any Deferred Income Tax Liability.

As of Sept 20, 2017, Apple had a Deferred Income Tax Liability (DTIL) on its books of $36.4 Bil related to its Unremitted Earnings of Foreign Subsidiaries.  In all probability, that was established using a US Federal Income Tax Rate of 35%.

Thus when the Trump Tax Cuts Act was passed, that $36.4 Bil of DTIL has to be remeasured by reducing it by 40% (14%/35%) X the DTIL or by $14.6 Bil.

Thus Apple's Total US Federal Income Tax Debt Forgiveness Granted it by the Trump Tax Cuts Act was this $14.6 Bil plus the other $1.8 Bil disclosed by Apple for a total of $16.4 Bil, much lower than Berkshire Hathaway's $29.6 Bil, but still a huge chunk of change.

And Apple would also get an additional tax benefit from reducing this now 21% Tax Rate down to 15.5%.

Then the reported $800 Mil/ $128.7 Net Toll Tax Rate of 0.6% makes a lot more sense.

In addition, Apple disclosed that if it has to pay the $17.5 Bil Ireland Income Tax Exposure it has, it would use it as a foreign tax credit to apply against the Huge Toll Tax it owes under the Trump Tax Cuts Act.

Just like Alphabet, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft and other Best and Brightest Tech Companies, Apple also has the Best and Brightest working in its Income Tax, Finance and Accounting Depts.

The last thing that the US Government wanted is for any California Technology Company to do extremely well with the Trump Tax Cuts Act.  Apple was the one US Technology Company which overwhelmingly Trumped the Trump Tax Cuts Act.  The rest of them were Trumped by it.
....................................................................................... 

#3 on the Highest 4Q 2017 Net Income List Was AT&T, which generated 4Q 2017 Net Income of $19.1 Bil.

In Its Dec 2017 10K filed with the SEC, AT&T disclosed that it recorded a reduction of its 4Q 2017 income tax expense of $20.3 Bil related to the remeasurement of our deferred tax balances (I more appropriately call that US Federal Income Tax Debt Forgiveness) and to other impacts of the Trump Tax Cuts Act.

In its Dec 2016 10-K, AT&T disclosed that its Noncurrent Deferred Income Tax Liabilities were $60.1 Bil at Dec 31, 2016.

In its Sept 2017 10-Q, AT&T disclosed that its Noncurrent Deferred Income Tax Liabilities grew to  $64.4 Bil at Sept 30, 2017.

Then in its Dec 2017 10-K, AT&T disclosed that its Noncurrent Deferred Income Tax Liabilities were $43.2 Bil.

Thus, its Noncurrent Deferred Income Tax Liabilities declined by $21.2 Bil in the 4Q 2017, the quarter the Trump Tax Cuts Act was signed into law.

Therefore, it only makes sense that the US Federal Income Tax Debt Forgiveness component would be at least $20.3 Bil and probably a bit higher than that.
.......................................................................................
#4 on the Highest 4Q 2017 Net Income List Was Verizon, which generated 4Q 2017 Net Income of $18.8 Bil.

In Its Dec 2017 10-K filed with the SEC, Verizon transparently states "that the enactment of the TCJA results in a one-time reduction in net deferred income tax liabilities of approximately $16.8 billion, primarily due to the re-measurement of U.S. deferred tax liabilities at the lower 21% U.S. federal corporate income tax rate, and no impact from the repatriation tax".

It's pretty safe to assume that nearly all of the $16.8 Bil is due to the US Federal Income Tax Debt Forgiveness in the Trump Tax Cuts Act.
.......................................................................................
And #5 on the Highest 4Q 2017 Net Income List Was Comcast, which generated 4Q 2017 Net Income of $15.0 Bil.

In Its Dec 2017 10-K filed with the SEC, being very transparent just like Verizon, Comcast states "The 2017 Tax Act reduces the federal corporate income tax rate to 21% from 35% effective January 1, 2018. The rate change, along with certain immaterial changes in tax basis resulting from the 2017 Tax Act, resulted in a reduction of our net deferred tax liabilities of $12.4 billion and a corresponding deferred income tax benefit in 2017."

It's pretty safe to assume that nearly all of the $12.4 Bil is due to the US Federal Income Tax Debt Forgiveness in the Trump Tax Cuts Act.
.......................................................................................
So, when you add just these 5 Companies together, they Earned Total 4Q 2017 Net Income of $105.7 Bil and precisely 90.4% of it or $95.5 Bil was due directly to the US Federal Income Tax Debt Forgiveness Feature in Trump Tax Cuts Act and this in the same quarter before the lower 21% US Federal Income Tax Rates even take effect.

My rough estimate is that the Total US Federal Income Tax Debt Forgiveness in the Trump Tax Cuts Act is somewhere between $800 Bil and $1 Tril, with Foreign Corporations Receiving $150 Bil to $200 Bil of it.

And the huge deficits in the Trump Tax Cuts Act are completely funded by US Taxpayers.

I suggest there is a much better way to spend US taxpayer money.

Saturday, February 24, 2018

US Oil & Gas Companies Total 4Q 2017 Profits Were So Inconsequential ....................................................................................... The 28 US Oil & Gas Corporations With Stock Market Caps of More Than $10 Bil and Which Have Already Released Their Earnings For the Dec 2017 Quarter Generated Total Net Income From Continuing Operations of $23.297 Bil, With $22.029 Bil of It, or 95% of It, Just Due to the Upfront, One-Off Trump Tax Cuts Act's Initial Tax Benefits, Predominately Forgiveness of Existing US Federal Income Tax Debt, Which Was Funded Completely By US Taxpayers ....................................................................................... Excluding These Trump Tax Cuts Act's Upfront Initial Tax Benefits, These Oil & Gas Companies Generated On Their Own 4Q 2017 Total Net Income of a Meager $1.268 Bil, Only 6% of Apple's Same Basis 4Q 2017 Net Income of $22.665 Bil

Below here are the US GAAP After-Tax Earnings From Continuing Operations for the 28 US Oil & Gas Corporations with recent stock market caps of more than $10 Bil and which have already released their quarterly earnings covering the same quarter in which President Trump signed the Trump Tax Cuts Act.   Also included below are the 2 Corps which haven't released their quarterly earnings yet for this quarter.
US GAAP
Net
Corp Income Income
Quarter Tax (Loss)
End (Expense) Without
When US GAAP US GAAP Benefit Trump
Trump Net Net Due To Tax Act
Tax Income Income Trump Initial
Cuts (Loss) (Loss) Tax Tax Cuts
State Act Dec 17 Dec 16 Better Cuts Dec 17
US Oil & Gas Corporation City Hqs HQs Signed Quarter Quarter (Worse) Act Quarter
mils $ mils $ mils $ mils $ mils $
A B A-B
Exxon Mobil Irving TX Dec 17            8,409            2,024            6,385            5,942            2,467
Chevron San Ramon CA Dec 17            3,118               438            2,680            2,020            1,098
Schlumberger Ltd Houston TX Dec 17          (2,272)             (194)          (2,078)               (76)          (2,196)
ConocoPhillips Houston TX Dec 17            1,598               (19)            1,617               852               746
EOG Resources' Houston TX Dec 17                 -                   -  
Occidental Petroleum Houston TX Dec 17               497             (268)               765               474                 23
Phillips 66 Houston TX Dec 17            3,255               194            3,061            2,735               520
Halliburton Houston TX Dec 17             (806)             (153)             (653)             (770)               (36)
Valero Energy San Antonio TX Dec 17            2,400               416            1,984            1,862               538
Kinder Morgan Inc Houston TX Dec 17             (992)               215          (1,207)          (1,240)               248
Marathon Petroleum Findlay OH Dec 17            2,125               289            1,836            1,500               625
Anadarko Petroleum The Woodlands TX Dec 17            1,039             (452)            1,491            1,170             (131)
Pioneer Natural Resources Irving TX Dec 17               665               (44)               709               625                 40
BakerHughes Houston TX Dec 17               (82)               147             (229)               132             (214)
Williams Companies Tulsa OK Dec 17            1,622                 37            1,585            1,923             (301)
ONEOK Inc Tulsa OK Dec 17                 -                   -  
Concho Resources Midland TX Dec 17               267             (125)               392               398             (131)
Continental Resources Oklahoma City OK Dec 17               842                 28               814               714               128
Devon Energy Oklahoma City OK Dec 17               304               196               108               211                 93
Andeavor San Antonio TX Dec 17               908               101               807               918               (10)
Apache Houston TX Dec 17               518             (143)               661               306               212
Hess New York NY Dec 17          (2,635)          (4,898)            2,263                 -            (2,635)
Marathon Oil Houston TX Dec 17               (28)          (1,383)            1,355                 35               (63)
Cheniere Energy Houston TX Dec 17               280               150               130                 -                 280
National Oilwell Varco Houston TX Dec 17               (15)             (717)               702               242             (257)
Noble Energy Houston TX Dec 17               516             (240)               756               270               246
EQT Pittsburgh PA Dec 17            1,379             (109)            1,488            1,205               174
Diamondback Energy Midland TX Dec 17               130                 28               102                 68                 62
Cabot Oil & Gas Houston TX Dec 17               (44)             (293)               249               243             (287)
Targa Resources Houston TX Dec 17               299             (141)               440               270                 29
   
Total all 28 With Earnings Released          23,297          (4,916)          28,213          22,029            1,268