Opinion on  Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B)     Sector: Financial  >  Industry: Insurance (Prop. & Casualty)
Let's cut to the chase with Iskar

The company: BRK's domestic story remains strong with the continued growth of Geico and the benefits post-Katrina increases in insurance rates likely to show up in the bottom line.  The formation of Berkshire Hathaway Assurance (muni bond insurance) provides yet another source of domestic growth.  The acquisition of Iskar (metal working tools) should allow Berkshire to capitalize on global trends - note the new plant in China. 

A personal note: Although the BRK growth story remains strong, Berkshire is not undervalued relative to it's peers (well managed large caps such as GE, not insurance).  Therefore, despite the low risk for the return, I'm only allocating 5% of my model portfolio to BRK.B