Why Warren Buffett Likes Occidental Petroleum

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Dr. David Kass
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From the February 25, 2022 Occidental Petroleum earnings call:

Occidental Petroleum CEO Vicki Hollub:

Occidental “will invest in our highest-return assets to generate long-term sustainable free cash flow. The long-term sustainability of our dividend will be enhanced by continued deleveraging and share repurchases.”

Q2 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more

Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett

“We intend to provide our shareholders with a competitive common dividend while maintaining a long-cycle cash flow breakeven at $40
WTI or less. The long-term sustainability of our dividend will be enhanced by continued deleveraging and share repurchases as well as
our best-in-class capital efficiency and a deep low-cost portfolio of assets. As debt is retired, our cash interest payments will decrease,
freeing up cash that can be used to support future common dividend growth.”

“By executing on the capital plan that invest in our highest-return assets to generate long-term sustainable free cash flow.”

” We now expect that our net debt will be below $25 billion by the end of the first quarter of 2022, which will mark a change in how excess cash flow will be allocated going forward.”

“The long-term sustainability of our dividend will be enhanced by continued deleveraging and share repurchases as well as
our best-in-class capital efficiency and a deep low-cost portfolio of assets. As debt is retired, our cash interest payments will decrease,
freeing up cash that can be used to support future common dividend growth.”

“It is our goal to reward shareholders with the triple benefit of a sustainable common benefit, an active share repurchase program, and a
continuously strengthening financial position. We believe the shareholder return framework we have detailed this afternoon delivers
these benefits in a manner that is transparent for shareholders.”

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David I Kass Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Finance Ph.D., Harvard University Robert H. Smith School of Business 4412 Van Munching Hall University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742-1815 Phone: 301-405-9683 Email: dkass@rhsmith.umd.edu (link sends e-mail) Dr. David Kass has published articles in corporate finance, industrial organization, and health economics. He currently teaches Advanced Financial Management and Business Finance, and is the Faculty Champion for the Accelerated Finance Fellows. Prior to joining the faculty of the Smith School in 2004, he held senior positions with the Federal Government (Federal Trade Commission, General Accounting Office, Department of Defense, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis). Dr. Kass has recently appeared on Bloomberg TV, CNBC, PBS Nightly Business Report, Maryland Public Television, Business News Network TV (Canada), Fox TV, American Public Media's Marketplace Radio, and WYPR Radio (Baltimore), and has been quoted on numerous occasions by Bloomberg News and The Wall Street Journal, where he has primarily discussed Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. He has also launched a Smith School “Warren Buffett” blog. Dr. Kass has accompanied MBA students on trips to Omaha for private meetings with Warren Buffett, and Finance Fellows to Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meetings. He is an officer of the Harvard Business School Club of Washington, DC, and is a member of the investment and budget committees of a local nonprofit organization. Dr. Kass received a Smith School “Top 15% Teaching Award” for the 2009-2010 academic year.