Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) recently reported its second-quarter results, and one number overshadowed all the rest. As of June 30, the Warren Buffett-led conglomerate reported nearly $277 billion in cash and short-term investments on its balance sheet.

Buffett has talked about firing his "elephant gun" and making a massive purchase several times in recent years but has said that high business valuations have been a roadblock. However, with more financial flexibility than ever before, could now be the time?

To be clear, we have no idea what Buffett and his team might be considering. But just to put the company's financial flexibility into perspective, here are five companies that Berkshire could conceivably buy in cash. Some of these could certainly make sense for Berkshire, but we'll also get into why I don't expect Buffett to pull the trigger anytime soon.

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Source Fool.com