 OMAHA, Neb. AP Warren Buffetts company reported a nearly 50 billion loss on Saturday because of a huge drop in the paper value of its investments, though the company is still sitting on a huge pile of cash. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said it lost 49.7 billion, or 30,653 per Class A share, during the first quarter. Thats down from last years profit of 21.66 billion, or 13,209 per Class A share. The biggest factor in the loss was a 54.5 billion loss on the value of Berkshires investment portfolio as the stock market declined sharply after the coronavirus outbreak began. The year before, Berkshires investments added 15.5 billion to the companys profits. Buffett has long said Berkshires operating earnings offer a better view of quarterly performance because they exclude investments and derivatives, which can vary widely. By that measure, Berkshires operating earnings improved to 5.87 billion, or 3,617.62 per Class A share, from 5.56 billion, or 3,387.56 per Class A share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected operating earnings per Class A share of 3,796.90 on average. Berkshires revenue grew 1 percent to 61.27 billion. Berkshire is sitting on a pile of more than 137 billion cash because Buffett has struggled to find major acquisitions for the company recently On Saturday afternoon, Buffett plans to lead an abbreviated online version of Berkshires annual meeting without any of the roughly 40,000 shareholders who typically attend. The company shifted to an online meeting and cancelled all the events surrounding the event because of the coronavirus outbreak. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. owns more than 90 companies, including the BNSF railroad and insurance, utility, furniture and jewelry businesses. The company also has major investments in such... 