Bill Ackman has his sights set on being this generation's Warren Buffett. Though the activist turned long-term investor is hesitant to say he thinks he will be the next Oracle of Omaha. "Warren's an icon,

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has been attempting to use real estate developer Howard Hughes Holdings ( HHH 2.82%) to create a "modern-day Berkshire Hathaway " for some time. Now, it looks like a deal has finally been reached that could allow him to get started.

As the two-hour afternoon session of Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting wound to a close, the conglomerate’s chief of 60 years declared that he’d just gotten the “five-minute warning, exclamation point,