Berkshire Takes $2.25 Billion in Dividends From Burlington

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. took $2.25 billion in dividends from Burlington Northern Santa Fe in less than 13 months of ownership, almost triple the railroad’s payout rate prior to the February 2010 acquisition.

Burlington Northern paid a $1 billion dividend last month, it said Feb. 28 in a filing. The railroad held by Berkshire’s National Indemnity Co. insurance unit paid $1.25 billion last year under Buffett. The $2.25 billion total compares with $772 million that Burlington Northern handed to stockholders in the 13 months prior to being acquired by Buffett’s firm.