Berkshire had been put on review on Aug. 11 for a possible downgrade on concern about Buffett's decision to deploy a large amount of cash toward the $32 billion acquisition of industrial parts maker Precision Castparts Corp. But S&P analyst Laline Carvalho said Berkshire's ratings were supported by the Omaha, Nebraska-based company's "excellent" profitability, "exceptional" liquidity and ability to generate significant cash flow from its roughly 90 operating businesses. S&P's "AA" rating is its third-highest, and its outlook for Berkshire is "stable."