Core Insights - Warren Buffett plans to retire at the end of the year after leading Berkshire Hathaway for 60 years, achieving a 19.9% compounded annual gain since 1965 compared to the S&P 500's 10.4% gain [1][2] Berkshire Hathaway's Performance - Berkshire Hathaway has seen an overall gain of 5,550,000% since Buffett took over, while the market gained 39,000% [2] Investment Strategy - Buffett has invested in five Japanese trading houses: Itochu, Marubeni, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, and Sumitomo, which operate in diverse sectors such as industrial metals, energy, and healthcare [5][6] - These companies share similarities with Berkshire Hathaway's origins and have shown strong financial performance, leading Buffett to express admiration for their management and capital deployment [6][7] - Berkshire's holdings in these Japanese companies represent a small portion of its total portfolio, valued at $1.05 trillion, with the trading houses collectively valued at $28.6 billion, or 2.7% of Berkshire's holdings [7][8] Future Prospects - Berkshire Hathaway is likely to increase its stakes in the Japanese trading houses as the companies relax their ownership ceilings, providing U.S. investors with opportunities for diversification and consistent dividends [8][9] Stock to Avoid - Charter Communications has seen a 21% decline in stock value this year, primarily due to disappointing earnings, reporting revenue of $13.7 billion, a mere 0.6% increase year-over-year, and earnings per share of $9.18, below the expected $9.58 [11][12] - The company struggles with revenue growth, with projections of only 2% growth over the next two years, and its cable service revenue dropped by 9.9% [13] - Charter does not pay dividends, contrasting with Buffett's investment philosophy of favoring dividend-paying stocks [14][15]

Core Insights - Rogers Communications (RCI) reported Q2 2025 adjusted earnings of 82 cents per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.5% but down 3.5% year over year [1][7] - Total revenues reached $3.77 billion, missing the consensus mark by 0.39% and reflecting a year-over-year increase of 1.3% [1][7] - The company experienced growth in service revenues across Wireless, Cable, and Media segments [7] Revenue Breakdown - Total revenues increased 2.4% year over year to C$5.22 billion, driven by growth in Wireless, Cable, and Media services [2] - Wireless revenues accounted for 48.7% of total revenues, increasing 3% year over year to C$2.54 billion, with service revenues rising 0.6% to C$2 billion [3] - Cable revenues, representing 37.7% of total revenues, grew 0.2% year over year to C$1.97 billion, while equipment revenues decreased significantly by 56.3% to C$7 million [5] - Media revenues, making up 15.5% of total revenues, increased 9.8% year over year to C$808 million [8] Subscriber Metrics - As of June 30, 2025, the prepaid mobile phone subscriber base increased by 92K to 1.16 million, with a monthly churn rate of 3.23% [3] - The postpaid wireless subscriber base reached 10.91 million, with net additions of 312K subscribers year over year and a churn rate of 1.0% [4] - Retail Internet subscribers totaled nearly 4.446 million, reflecting a net increase of 232K subscribers year over year [5] - Smart Home Monitoring subscribers reached 141K, an increase of 40K, while Home Phone subscribers decreased by 111K to nearly 1.45 million [6] Financial Performance - Adjusted EBITDA rose 1.6% year over year to C$2.36 billion, with a margin contraction of 40 basis points to 45.3% [9] - Free cash flow surged 38.9% year over year to C$925 million, driven by increased adjusted EBITDA and lower capital intensity [12] - Operating expenses increased 3.1% to C$2.85 billion, with a slight increase in operating costs as a percentage of revenues [9] Balance Sheet and Cash Flow - As of June 30, 2025, RCI had C$11.8 billion in available liquidity, including C$7 billion in cash and cash equivalents [10] - The debt leverage ratio was 3.6 times, nearing pre-Shaw acquisition levels, indicating accelerated deleveraging progress [11] - Cash flow from operating activities was C$1.60 billion, an increase of 8.4% year over year [11] Guidance - For 2025, RCI expects total service revenues to grow between 3% and 5%, with adjusted EBITDA growth projected between 0% and 3% [13]