I'd also take anything the flames say about their EBIT and profitability with a grain of salt. We have no idea how they account for things or how they have set things up within their organization. Depending on how they allocate costs among their entities (hitmen, necks, stamps) it's possible the flames shoulder the majority of those costs because they make the most profit.
Furthermore, none of this takes into account the increased value of the franchise over the years either. Would you say an investment in Berkshire is terrible because it doesn't pay dividends even though the value of the share has risen dramatically?
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