Warren Buffett Watch: According to Adolphus Busch IV, how big a stake does Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO hold in Anheuser?

“Mr. Buffett, who holds a 5% stake in Anheuser-Busch has a notable reputation for assisting in matters where family ownership is at stake,” Adolphus Busch IV, August Busch IV’s uncle, said in a statement.

As for me, I’m taking the money and running when it comes to Anheuser-Busch (BUD).

CNBC Stock Blog: On June 16, Jonathan Vyorst offered CNBC his stock picks. But which one was an exclusive “Web Extra”?

Vyorst offered two additional picks exclusively for CNBC.com: 

American Financial Group (AFG), a specialty insurer that sells for book value — he says it will earn close to four dollars per share this year — and Phillips Van Heusen (PVH), which owns the Calvin Klein brand, a brand that’s doing well both domestically and internationally.

AFG doesn’t show up in my models, but PVH has strong earnings momentum.

Doug Kass shorted Berkshire Hathaway again this week. What was his “artistic” characterization of Warren Buffett?

His admittedly exaggerated characterization: “Warren Buffett, who has achieved a remarkable investment record over 50 years, has begun to morph from the ‘Shakespeare of investing’ into the ‘Mozart of marketing.’”

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) doesn’t show up in the models I use.

In his Friday “Game Plan,” Cramer said banks may bottom soon. But he warned of possible “catches,” including:

The catch here, and there always is a catch, is that if HOV and TOL report poor numbers and the U.S. has lost more jobs, Cramer’s predicting next week would be horrible for the financials. American International Group (AIG - Annual Report), Washington Mutual (WM) Wachovia (WB - Annual Report) and Bank of America (BAC) could sink to multiyear lows.

None of the stocks fare especially well in the models I use. HOV doesn’t even make it past the screens, and Toll Brothers scores among the worst for earnings momentum and return potential.

Bank of America scores poorly for earnings quality, earnings momentum and price momentum. The same applies for Wachovia, which also ranks low for free cash flow. Washington Mutual, by contrast, has a high free cash flow ranking but is also among the worst ranked for return potential.

AIG is the only name on the list that is not a net negative in my models. Its poor scores for earnings momentum and price momentum are offset by high marks for earnings quality and free cash flow.

Disclosure: At time of publication, William Trent has no financial position in the companies mentioned in this article.

On May 9, Jim Cramer assailed AIG — and its CEO Martin Sullivan. What did the Mad Money guru call the company?

After the Dow component (AIG - Annual Report) posted an $8 billion loss Thursday – dragging the whole market down with it on Friday – and said it needs to raise an additional $12.5 billion, Cramer was astounded at how far the once well-run insurer has fallen. “This company is moronic,” he said flatly.

Short seller Doug Kass mentioned Warren Buffett and a famous tyrant in a CNBC interview. Which tyrant?

Shorting Buffett Yogi Berra once said, ‘Even Napoleon had his Watergate.’ And in the case of Warren Buffett, his Watergate is an investment style drift which is really a no-no in the money management business.

Disclosure: At time of publication, William Trent has no financial position in the companies mentioned in this article.

Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio Tracker: What was BRK’s top holding by dollar value (as of March 31)?

It looks like Coca-Cola (KO) to me.

In the models I look at, Coke scores in the middle of the pack on every metric.

Disclosure: At time of publication, William Trent has no financial position in the companies mentioned in this article.

On May 9’s “Stop Trading”, Jim Cramer warned NOT to buy certain stocks. Which one did he call a “travesty”?

Citigroup (C - Annual Report), AIG (AIG - Annual Report) and Circuit City (CC). Three of the worst companies America has to offer, at least that’s how Jim Cramer sees it.

But it’s AIG that takes the cake. The world’s biggest insurer has become a “travesty,” according to Cramer.

Disclosure: At time of publication, William Trent has no financial position in the companies mentioned in this article.

Web Video: On May 5, strategist James Altucher said three stocks may be the “next Berkshire Hathaways.” Name one of them.

In The Next Berkshire Hathaway, Altucher names Otter Tail (OTTR), Markel (MKL), and Leucadia (LUK).

Disclosure: At time of publication, William Trent has no financial position in the companies mentioned in this article.

I am proud to host this edition of the Festival of Stocks. Since you are here for some stock picks, let’s get to them!

Rock Your Stock rang in first with Callaway (ELY) is Hot. He says the stock is on a tear and has the fundamentals to back it up.

Rick Casterline at Once More Unto the Breach figures he can sleep when he dies. No way is he going to do it during day 3 of the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting.

Average Joe at Investment Jungle weighs in with a review of Small Cap Watch List (Track at Marketocracy) member First Regional Bancorp (FRGB). Joe and I have frequently been on the same investment page.

Project Stocks submitted Beat the Market With Only 15 Minutes of Work Each Year. The idea is to buy each year’s top performing fund and hold it for a year. Seems simplistic, but it actually has some support from recent academic research.

Neural Market Trends wonders about the effect of financial asteroids on market trends.

Fiscal Times tells us the stocks Business Week ranks as most innovative tend to perform better.

Big Cajun Man has found a real lu-lu.

TJP at Investor Trip explains what he missed when he first got Sirius (SIRI).

Trader’s Narrative is calling a bubble… in China.

Self Investors outlines a successful day trade in Force Protection (FRPT).

Silicon Valley Blogger offers 5 tips for evaluating your portfolio.

George at Fat Pitch Financials presents his five favorite ways to hack into the web’s resources for investors. I downloaded the Excel add-in and am looking forward to trying it out.

Sox First outlines what went wrong with the planned private equity takeover of Qantas.

And what the heck? I’ll toot my own horn by presenting my take on United Industrial Corp. (UIC).