Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and its subsidiaries operate in insurance, freight rail transportation, and utilities. The company offers property, casualty, life, accident, and health insurance and reinsurance; runs railroad systems in North America; and generates, transmits, stores, and distributes electricity from natural gas, coal, wind, solar, hydroelectric, nuclear, and geothermal sources. It also operates natural gas distribution and storage facilities, interstate pipelines, liquefied natural gas facilities, and compressor and meter stations, and holds interests in coal mining assets. In addition, Berkshire manufactures a wide range of products including boxed chocolates, specialty chemicals, metal cutting tools, aerospace and power generation components, prefabricated and site-built homes, flooring, insulation, roofing, engineered products, paints, coatings, bricks, and masonry products, and provides related lending and financial services. The company also offers recreational vehicles, apparel, footwear, toys, jewelry, custom picture framing, alkaline batteries, logistics services, professional aviation training, shared aircraft ownership programs, castings, forgings, fasteners, aerostructures, precision components, and cobalt, nickel, and titanium alloys. It distributes televisions, information products, grocery and non-food consumer products, franchises and services quick service restaurants, and distributes electronic components. It retails automobiles, furniture, bedding, accessories, household appliances, electronics, floor coverings, watches, home decor and repair services, kitchenware, and motorcycle clothing and equipment. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.
Buffett steps down as Berkshire Hathaway chairman, becomes chairman emeritus
Warren Buffett is stepping down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, the $1 trillion conglomerate announced on Sep. 18. He will become chairman emeritus, effective immediately, while remaining a board director as his son Howard replaces him as chairman. The "Oracle of Omaha" led Berkshire Hathaway for nearly six decades until March 2025, when he announced his exit as CEO, and during his tenure he turned the company from a struggling textile business into a trillion-dollar conglomerate spanning insurance, energy, and technology. Buffett's long-standing skepticism of cryptocurrencies still resonates: in 2018 he called Bitcoin "probably rat poison squared" and said he would not even take a short position on Bitcoin futures, though Bitcoin was trading below $10,000 at the time and is now at $80,246, eight times higher. Berkshire Hathaway never directly invested in crypto, and it exited its entire stake in the crypto-friendly digital bank Nubank in the first quarter of 2025.
Berkshire Hathaway Names Howard Buffett Chairman as Warren Buffett Becomes Chairman Emeritus
Berkshire Hathaway completed its split succession Friday by naming Howard Buffett chairman and Warren Buffett chairman emeritus, with Class B shares falling $506.71 on the market's cautious reaction to a leadership structure that now spreads responsibilities once concentrated around Warren Buffett. Greg Abel keeps the operating wheel as CEO, while Howard Buffett takes a nonexecutive chairmanship focused on preserving Berkshire's culture and long-term operating philosophy. Warren Buffett remains a director and can still offer advice, but the formal transition is now unmistakable, with Berkshire's operating leadership, board stewardship and founder influence sitting in separate hands rather than under one legendary capital allocator. The handoff is happening from a position of strength, as second-quarter operating profit climbed 16% to $12.98 billion, shifting the investor question toward whether Berkshire can preserve its decentralized model, disciplined capital allocation and unusually candid shareholder culture across a new generation of leadership. At $506.71, Berkshire trades 8.35% below its GF Value estimate of $552.87, suggesting the shares are priced below GuruFocus' estimate of fair value as investors digest the succession transition.
Buffett Steps Down as Berkshire Chairman, Howard Buffett to Succeed
Warren Buffett is stepping down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, with his son Howard G. Buffett set to become chairman while Buffett becomes chairman emeritus and remains on the board. Buffett, 96, will hand the chairman role to Howard G. Buffett, who has served on the board for 33 years, while Susan Decker stays on as lead independent director. The move comes less than a year after Greg Abel became CEO, succeeding Buffett after roughly six decades in the role. Buffett endorsed Abel, saying his expectations for him were sky high from the start and that he has exceeded them, adding that Abel has been making the decisions that matter for some time. Buffett took control of Berkshire in 1965 and transformed a struggling textile company into a diversified conglomerate spanning insurance, railroads, energy, aerospace components, retail, real estate, truck stops and homebuilding, and Berkshire also manages an equity portfolio worth nearly $300 billion. Berkshire shares slipped about 0.1% in Friday premarket trading.
Warren Buffett Steps Down as Berkshire Hathaway Chairman, Son Howard Named Successor
Warren Buffett is stepping down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, the company he built over six decades, and will become chairman emeritus effective immediately, the company announced on Sept. 18. His son, Howard Buffett, 71, replaces him as chairman and will not have a management role, with his main responsibility being to preserve Berkshire's culture. Buffett, 96, handed the CEO reins to longtime lieutenant Greg Abel nine months ago and first announced plans to step away in May 2025. Over six decades, Buffett transformed Berkshire Hathaway from a failing textile company into a $1.1 trillion conglomerate, and between 1965, when he took over, and 2023, Berkshire stock reaped a compounded average annual return of 19.8%, compared with 10.2% for the S&P 500 as a whole. Berkshire stock is up just 0.7% this year as of late morning on Sept. 18, compared with an 11% gain for the S&P, and Buffett is the 10th-wealthiest American with an estimated wealth of $144 billion, according to Forbes.
Buffett Steps Down as Berkshire Chairman, Son Howard to Succeed
Warren Buffett is stepping down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., ending roughly six decades at the helm of the conglomerate, with his son Howard set to replace him. Buffett, who is 96, will become chairman emeritus, while Greg Abel, long the company's operational leader, continues running the business day to day. Bloomberg Intelligence Senior P&C Insurance Analyst Matt Palazola said the market may be waiting for a change in capital management strategy, such as a dividend, though Abel has already said he is not a big fan of Berkshire paying one. According to Barron's, $10,000 invested in Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, when Buffett took over, would have been worth about 550 million by the end of 2024. Palazola called Buffett the greatest investor of all time but said many people contributed to Berkshire's success, noting recent moves including buying a group of Japan trading houses, selling some Apple shares and trimming Bank of America.
Warren Buffett steps down as Berkshire Hathaway chairman
Warren Buffett stepped down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate announced Friday, ending the revered investor's more than half a century of running the group he turned into a financial behemoth. The resignation is effective immediately, though Buffett will remain a member of the board of directors as chairman emeritus, Berkshire Hathaway said in a statement. Buffett's son Howard Buffett will take over as chairman, the statement added. The 96-year-old had announced plans last year to retire from leading the business group. Berkshire Hathaway, a former small textile company, has grown under Buffett's leadership into a gigantic conglomerate now worth over $1 trillion on Wall Street, a first for an American group outside the tech sector, owning dozens of businesses from Duracell batteries to US insurer Geico and shares in companies from Coca-Cola to Bank of America. In a letter to shareholders, Buffett said, "Father Time always wins. He has, however, been generous with me," adding that the company is in excellent hands.
Warren Buffett steps down as Berkshire Hathaway chairman, son Howard to succeed
Warren Buffett is stepping down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, to be replaced by his son Howard, after holding the position since 1970. Buffett will transition into a chairman emeritus role. Howard has served on the Berkshire board for a long time. Buffett said in his shareholder letter that serving as chairman has been the privilege of a lifetime and that he has never taken shareholders' trust for granted, and he expressed confidence in Greg Abel, who took over the chief executive officer job, saying his expectations for Abel were sky high from the start and that Abel has exceeded them. Analysts reacting to the announcement said key man risk at Berkshire may already have played out with the Abel transition, and that the stock's multiple could contract a bit over the next couple of years.
Buffett Warns on Market Risk as Berkshire Builds $38 Billion Alphabet Stake
Warren Buffett told CNBC that markets are in a gambling mood and that prices for many assets will look very silly, while confirming he initiated Berkshire Hathaway's aggressive buying of Alphabet stock, a position now worth about $38 billion and representing roughly 12.6% of its public equity holdings. Buffett said the decision was made by Greg Abel, and when asked why he was comfortable buying Alphabet over other hyperscalers spending heavily on AI-related capital expenditures, he said he did not want to knock the others because they have no choice, adding that in many cases they are playing a game they do not want to play. Bond markets are pricing in default risk for Oracle, with a mid-market credit default swap spread of 192 basis points implying a 3.2% one-year default probability and 14.8% cumulatively over five years, after S&P Global Ratings downgraded Oracle debt from BBB to BBB-, its lowest investment-grade rating, warning that an industry downturn would hit Oracle worse than other hyperscalers. The takeaway is that any significant market-led weakness tied to weaker hyperscalers could be a buying opportunity in higher-quality names like Alphabet.
Greg Abel's First Year at Berkshire: Alphabet Enters Top Five Holdings
Greg Abel has led Berkshire Hathaway for nearly three full quarters since taking over as CEO from Warren Buffett at the beginning of this year, and the most notable change under his watch is a major bet on Alphabet. Alphabet is now a top-five portfolio position for Berkshire, ranking No. 5, alongside Apple, American Express, Coca-Cola, and Bank of America. Alphabet accounts for roughly 10.5% of Berkshire's stock portfolio between class A and class B shares, a level no other tech stock has ever matched or exceeded except Apple, which accounts for roughly 20.8% of the conglomerate's public holdings. Together, the two tech companies now make up roughly 31% of Berkshire's total stock holdings. Operations at Berkshire's fully owned subsidiaries have seen little change, and there have been no game-changing acquisitions or dramatic shifts in the broader public stock portfolio.
Buffett Warns Market Has Become a Casino as Berkshire Sits on $397.4 Billion
Warren Buffett warned that the stock market has drifted from investing into outright gambling, telling CNBC's Becky Quick at Berkshire Hathaway's 2026 annual meeting in Omaha that the casino side of the market has grown far more attractive to people lately. "I've compared the markets to a church with a casino attached," Buffett said, adding that the shift is "not investing, it's not speculating, it's gambling," and pointing to the explosion in one-day options trading as evidence that "we've never had people in a more gambling mood than now." His caution is backed by Berkshire's own balance sheet, which ended the first quarter of 2026 with a record $397.4 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term Treasury bills, the largest liquidity position in the company's history. Two valuation gauges support his hesitation: the Buffett indicator, comparing total U.S. stock market value to GDP, sat above 234% as of late July, well beyond the 200% level Buffett once described as "playing with fire," while the Shiller CAPE ratio stood above 41.9. Berkshire was a net seller of stocks for 14 consecutive quarters before reversing course in the second quarter of 2026, with most of that renewed buying concentrated in a roughly $17 billion purchase of Alphabet shares. Buffett stressed he is not predicting an imminent crash, noting that Berkshire has weathered three declines of more than 50% since he took over and calling the recent pullback "nothing," a sign the company is waiting for a much bigger decline before deploying substantial capital.
Berkshire's Precision Castparts, Buffett's $37B Mistake, Now an AI Power Play
Precision Castparts, the aerospace parts maker Berkshire Hathaway bought in 2016 for roughly $37.2 billion and later wrote down by about $11 billion, has quietly become a supplier to the AI power build-out, according to an analysis published by TheStreet. The business generated $2.4 billion of net cash from operating activities in 2025, against $1.7 billion in 2015, the last full year before Berkshire owned it, per Berkshire's annual report. Precision Castparts makes airfoil castings for both jet engines and industrial gas turbines, and castings remain one of the most stubborn chokepoints in engine production. Gas turbine backlog and slot reservations grew from 100 to 116 gigawatts in a single quarter, with at least 125 gigawatts expected under contract by year-end, according to GE Vernova, and data center customers account for about 20% of that contracted volume, according to POWER magazine. GE Aerospace just paid $11.75 billion for Consolidated Precision Products, a smaller castings maker, and using that multiple Precision Castparts could be worth around $100 billion, or nearly three times what Berkshire paid, according to Barron's.
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel Buys Taylor Morrison, Repurchases Shares
Greg Abel, who succeeded Warren Buffett as Berkshire Hathaway's CEO at the beginning of 2026, has made a major acquisition by buying homebuilder Taylor Morrison and has been buying back many Berkshire Hathaway shares, boosting the value of the remaining shares. Abel has much of the Berkshire Hathaway stock portfolio invested in top holdings Apple, American Express, Coca-Cola, Alphabet, and Bank of America. Buffett, who built Berkshire Hathaway into a company now worth more than $1 trillion and increased its share price by more than 6,000,000% over 60 years, stepped down from the CEO post at the beginning of 2026 and just turned 96. The company operates as a true conglomerate, owning multiple insurance and energy operations along with GEICO, Benjamin Moore, McLane, NetJets, Dairy Queen International, See's Candies, Fruit of the Loom, Pilot Travel Centers, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, and the entire BNSF railroad.
Berkshire Hathaway Buys Taylor Morrison Home for $6.8 Billion in Greg Abel's First Big Deal
Berkshire Hathaway agreed to pay $6.8 billion to acquire Taylor Morrison Home, the first major acquisition under new CEO Greg Abel, who took over from Warren Buffett. Abel called it a strategic move, saying he hopes to "unify our site-built homebuilding operations into a combined platform," and Warren Buffett approved his handling of the deal. The purchase comes as the pending home sales index sits near its second-lowest reading ever, down 36% from its 2021 high, but Abel is not trying to time a housing upturn. Berkshire Hathaway held roughly $365 billion in cash at the end of the second quarter of 2026, giving it the patience to let the homebuilding integration play out over years. Taylor Morrison Home is just one piece of a broader effort to strengthen Berkshire's operating businesses.
Berkshire CEO Abel Warns of Growing Community Pushback Against Data Centers
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel told CNBC's Becky Quick on September 2 that there is a lot more pushback in communities across the U.S. against new data center construction. Abel said Berkshire's role in the AI buildout centers on supplying power through Berkshire Hathaway Energy rather than building the facilities themselves, and that the company will only serve large computing customers on the condition that existing customers' rates are not affected. The U.S. currently hosts roughly 4,700 data centers, and New York became the first state to impose a one-year moratorium on large new data center construction, with at least 11 states having similar movements underway. Electricity bills near major data center hubs have climbed as much as 267% over five years, and data centers now account for 4% to 5% of all U.S. electricity consumption. Mizuho analyst Vikram Malhotra flagged data centers as a likely defining political issue heading into the midterms, while Abel said he views grid capacity and permitting timelines, not chips or capital, as the real constraint on the AI buildout, noting data centers already make up about 8% of Berkshire Energy's load in Iowa.
Abel Reverses Buffett's Two Biggest Convictions in Six Months
Greg Abel, who succeeded Warren Buffett as Berkshire Hathaway's chief executive on January 1, 2026, has reversed Buffett's two biggest convictions within six months, turning the company into a net buyer of equities and ramping up buybacks. In the second quarter, Berkshire made nearly $20 billion in net equity purchases, including a $10 billion private placement in Alphabet, and spent $4.5 billion on buybacks, reducing cash reserves by $32 billion to $365.5 billion by June 30, 2026. Buffett told CNBC in a July 2026 interview that he personally drove the decision to build the Alphabet position, saying, "I initiated it. I am not doing anything that he doesn't approve of. He's not doing anything I don't approve of. We talk all the time, but he is the decider." Abel also announced a $6.8 billion acquisition of homebuilder Taylor Morrison at $72.50 per share, a 24% premium, and personally purchased 21 Class A shares at approximately $730,000 each, committing to repeat the purchase annually. Operating earnings rose 16% year over year to $12.98 billion, while net income more than doubled to $25.67 billion, and shares climbed as much as 3.3% following the results. Critics like Michael Burry expressed concern about the pace of spending, but others, including Bill Stone of The Glenview Trust Company, defended Abel's actions as disciplined capital deployment.
Greg Abel Spends $4.5 Billion on Berkshire Buybacks, Adds $3.3 Billion in July
Greg Abel, Warren Buffett's successor as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, spent $4.5 billion repurchasing company stock last quarter and has already bought at least $3.3 billion more in July, signaling confidence in the stock's value. The buybacks mark a significant step-up from the first quarter, when repurchases totaled only a few hundred million dollars, and follow a six-quarter pause under Buffett. Berkshire's quarterly report shows shares outstanding fell about 0.32% from the end of June to the end of July, with the company's market capitalization above $1.05 trillion. Abel also ended a 13-quarter streak of net stock sales by buying $23.5 billion in equities last quarter, including a large position in Alphabet, which is now Berkshire's third-largest holding. The repurchases are permitted only when management deems the stock undervalued, and with a price-to-book ratio around 1.45, the stock appears fairly valued despite recent gains.
Berkshire's Abel Warns of Growing Data Center Revolt
Berkshire Hathaway's Greg Abel has flagged a growing nationwide resistance to data center construction, as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signed an executive order making community support a permit prerequisite for new sites. Abel told CNBC there is "a lot more pushback" on data center construction, while White House AI adviser David Sacks amplified a political messaging script framing data centers as "life preservers" for "drowning American towns." The pushback comes as investors underwrite roughly $1 trillion in AI capital expenditure this year, with forecasts of $1.4 trillion next year. NVIDIA reported $96.22 billion in quarterly revenue and expects fiscal 2028 growth of approximately 70%, while Constellation Energy signed 920 megawatts of long-term nuclear power purchase agreements. Berkshire's operating earnings rose to $12.98 billion last quarter, and the company deployed roughly $23.5 billion into equities, including a $10 billion Alphabet stake. BRK-B is up just 0.52% year to date, compared to NVDA's 20.47% and VRT's 58.52% gains, a gap that prices in a frictionless buildout that zoning boards and rate-shock headlines could unwind.
Berkshire CEO Abel: Power Grid Is Biggest AI Constraint
Berkshire Hathaway's new CEO Greg Abel said in a CNBC interview that energy will be the biggest constraint on AI data centers, citing grid permitting and interconnection delays rather than chip shortages. Abel noted data centers already represent roughly 8% of Berkshire Energy's load in Iowa, with incremental load expected. He also revealed that Berkshire invested $6.5 billion in Alphabet at a 6.5% discount as part of a roughly $23.5 billion equity deployment in Q2, driven by conviction in AI's impact. Berkshire Energy will serve hyperscalers only if existing ratepayers face no rate increase and ideally see a net benefit. Abel's comments highlight the growing importance of utilities and power infrastructure in the AI boom.
Berkshire CEO says Japan yields not a concern for trading houses
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel said Wednesday that rising bond yields in Japan are not weighing on the major Japanese trading companies in which the conglomerate holds stakes. During an appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box" while visiting Tokyo, Abel said not a single trading company raised it as a fundamental challenge, noting that Japan's yields, while at multi-decade highs, remain relatively modest compared to other global yields. Japan's 10-year bond yield hit a 30-year high this week, reaching just above 3%, while the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield crossed 4.8% on Tuesday. Berkshire holds stakes exceeding 10% in five major Japanese trading houses — Itochu, Marubeni, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, and Sumitomo — and Abel said the company intends to hold these positions for decades and continue tapping the yen bond market when needed. He also discussed Berkshire's investment in Alphabet, viewing Google's parent as a significant player in artificial intelligence, and addressed data center power supply, saying Berkshire is open to supplying power to large computing firms only if it does not raise rates for existing customers.
Greg Abel's First Year at Berkshire: Trims Bank of America, Boosts Alphabet
Greg Abel, Warren Buffett's successor as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, has made significant changes to the company's $357 billion portfolio in his first year, including an eighth consecutive quarter of selling Bank of America shares and a major increase in its stake in Alphabet, which has become Berkshire's third-largest holding. In the second quarter, Berkshire sold 30,230,150 Bank of America shares, reducing its stake by a cumulative 53% over eight quarters, likely due to profit-taking as the stock now trades at a 62% premium to book value, compared to a 62% discount when Buffett first invested in 2011. Meanwhile, Abel more than tripled Berkshire's Alphabet stake in the first quarter and added another $17 billion in the second quarter, including $10 billion via private placement, surpassing Coca-Cola and Bank of America to become the third-largest holding. Alphabet's appeal lies in its dominant search market share of 89% to 93% and its AI-driven cloud growth, which saw 82% year-over-year sales growth in the June-ended quarter, potentially positioning it to eventually unseat Apple as Berkshire's top holding.
Berkshire and JPMorgan Bet Big on Housing Market Rebound
Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase have made significant investments in the housing industry, signaling a potential rebound. Berkshire completed its $6.8 billion acquisition of homebuilder Taylor Morrison on July 24, adding to its Clayton Properties Group, which together delivered 23,000 closings in 2025 across 21 states. This purchase, part of a broader strategy to streamline operations and improve margins, reduced Berkshire's cash pile from nearly $400 billion to $365 billion. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase committed $750 billion through 2035 to help build or preserve 1 million affordable housing units and assist 500,000 customers in purchasing homes, a 40% increase from its previous commitment. The bank's home loan revenue rose 3% year over year in the second quarter, and the investment aims to boost originations and lower default rates despite high mortgage rates.
Berkshire Hathaway Completes $6.8 Billion Taylor Morrison Acquisition
Berkshire Hathaway, a US$1.1b diversified financial group, has completed a US$6.8b acquisition of Taylor Morrison, signaling a housing-focused move under new CEO Greg Abel. The company has also expanded positions in several large US homebuilders alongside the Taylor Morrison deal, pointing to a long-term commitment to the US housing market and domestic economic fundamentals. This renewed focus on housing and construction feeds into a broader set of opportunities in real assets and cyclical sectors. For investors, the acquisition reinforces Berkshire's leaning into real assets tied to long-term US economic activity, supporting its view as a diversified operator. However, it also adds pressure on concerns that earnings may decline by an average of 7.2% a year, making execution on housing investments more critical. The next annual shareholder letter and 10-K will provide clarity on how these housing-related results compare with group earnings trends.
Greg Abel Boosts Berkshire's Delta Stake 44% to 8.7%
Greg Abel, Berkshire Hathaway's new CEO, increased the company's stake in Delta Air Lines by 44% in the second quarter of 2026, reversing Warren Buffett's 2020 exit from airlines. Berkshire bought 17.5 million Delta shares, raising its total to 57.3 million shares valued at $5.4 billion, up from $2.6 billion after the first quarter. This makes Delta the 13th-largest position in Berkshire's portfolio, representing about 1.8% of the total, and boosts Berkshire's ownership to 8.7% of Delta, up from 6.1%. The move came as Berkshire became a net buyer of stocks for the first time in 14 quarters, purchasing roughly $23.5 billion in stocks while selling just $3.7 billion, reducing its cash pile from a record $397 billion to approximately $365 billion. Delta is now the only airline stock Berkshire owns, and analysts are bullish, with 89% rating it a buy and a median price target of $105 per share, implying a 28% gain.
Berkshire Hathaway's second-quarter 13F filing revealed a net purchase of nearly $19.8 billion in stocks, its first net-buying quarter in 14 quarters, driven largely by an 83% increase in its Alphabet stake to about 106 million shares worth $37.8 billion, making it the conglomerate's third-largest holding behind Apple and American Express. Roughly $10 billion of the increase came from a June private placement Alphabet arranged to fund its AI buildout, and Warren Buffett told CNBC, "I initiated it," while noting CEO Greg Abel "has the last word." The purchase marks a shift in Berkshire's strategy, deploying part of its cash pile that had reached $397.4 billion, though it still holds about $365.5 billion in cash. The move adds concentration in mega-cap tech stocks, and future decisions on the stake now rest with Abel, who has less of a public track record than Buffett.
Berkshire Hathaway Bets Big on Housing with Three New Moves
Berkshire Hathaway has made three significant moves that signal a major bet on the U.S. housing market, according to a report from The Motley Fool. In the second quarter, the company acquired homebuilder Taylor Morrison for $8.5 billion, increased its stake in Lennar by about 30%, and bought shares of D.R. Horton. These investments come on top of Berkshire's existing housing exposure, including Clayton Homes and Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. The moves suggest CEO Greg Abel is positioning for a housing recovery, despite the market being described as "frozen" by Home Depot's CEO. With a massive housing shortage and pent-up demand, the bet could pay off if interest rates decline.
Berkshire Hathaway Bought $10 Billion of Alphabet in Private Placement
Berkshire Hathaway purchased $10 billion of Alphabet stock directly from the company in a private placement, bypassing the open market. The purchase was split between $5 billion of Class A shares at $351.81 per share and $5 billion of Class C shares at $348.20 apiece. This private placement was part of a larger expansion of Berkshire's Alphabet stake during the 2026 second quarter, which also included open-market purchases. The Alphabet position now ties with Coca-Cola as Berkshire's third-largest stock holding, each accounting for 10.2% of the portfolio. The move marks a departure for CEO Greg Abel, who is deploying Berkshire's cash pile, which shrank from nearly $400 billion to $365.5 billion.
Berkshire Hathaway to collect $619 million in annual Bank of America dividends
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is on pace to collect roughly $619 million a year in dividends from Bank of America after the bank's board approved a 14% dividend increase in July. The quarterly payout rises to $0.32 a share from $0.28, lifting the forward annual dividend to $1.28 a share. Berkshire currently holds 483,394,015 shares of Bank of America, according to CNBC, even after trimming its position by about 30.2 million shares, or 5.9%, in the second quarter. Bank of America reported second-quarter net income of $9.1 billion, up 27% from a year earlier, with earnings per share up 34% to $1.21. The bank's payout ratio is roughly 28% of earnings, and its 10-year dividend growth rate is about 15.6% annualized.
Berkshire Hathaway Boosts Alphabet Stake 83% to $37.8 Billion
Berkshire Hathaway increased its stake in Alphabet by 83% during the second quarter to nearly 106 million shares worth about $37.8 billion, making Google's parent its third-largest stock holding behind Apple and American Express. The stake includes a $10 billion private placement completed on June 4, with Alphabet saying the proceeds would support general corporate purposes including capital expenditures to scale AI infrastructure and global compute. Alphabet's second-quarter revenue rose 24% to $119.8 billion, while Google Cloud revenue jumped 82% to $24.8 billion and cloud operating income more than tripled to $8.8 billion. Alphabet raised its 2026 capital-spending forecast to $195 billion to $205 billion in July, and Reuters reported the company burned $5.9 billion of cash in the second quarter, its first quarterly cash burn on record. Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak has called the recent weakness a tactical buying opportunity and raised his price target to $415.
Berkshire Hathaway Buys D.R. Horton Stake, Boosts Lennar Position
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, now run by Greg Abel, revealed in its latest 13F filing that it bought a new stake in D.R. Horton worth about $580,000 and increased its stake in Lennar by 30% in the second quarter, lifting that position to about $1.2 billion. The housing market has been under pressure from higher mortgage rates, but J.P. Morgan Global Research expects home prices to remain flat in 2026 and rise 3% in 2027, while Capital Economics forecasts a 2.5% rebound in 2027 and a 4% gain in 2028. D.R. Horton's gross margin beat guidance at 20.7% in its most recent quarter, but the company cut its full-year revenue guidance and its stock is down 10% over the past year. Lennar's stock is down about 34% over the past year, though its fiscal Q2 results showed incentives on deliveries falling for the first time in three years, and construction costs per square foot dropped 7% year over year to $81.
Berkshire Hathaway Q2 profit surges as CEO Greg Abel ramps up equity bets
Berkshire Hathaway reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of US$101.81 billion and net income of US$25.67 billion, with earnings per share from continuing operations of US$17,868. Under new CEO Greg Abel, the company sharply increased equity purchases, including an 83% rise in its Alphabet stake, and executed its biggest share buyback since 2021. The moves signal a greater willingness to deploy cash, though they also raise concentration risk in Alphabet and Delta Air Lines. Simply Wall St community fair value estimates for Berkshire range from about US$799,503 to US$1.18 million.
Berkshire Hathaway boosts Alphabet stake 83% in second quarter
Berkshire Hathaway significantly increased its Alphabet stake in the second quarter of 2026, raising its holdings by 83% to about 106 million shares. The position was worth nearly $38 billion at the end of June, making Alphabet the third-largest holding in Berkshire's U.S. stock portfolio, behind Apple and American Express. Berkshire also increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 44% during the quarter, taking that position to about $5.4 billion as of June 30. The company initiated a new position in D.R. Horton and significantly increased its holdings in Lennar and Macy's, while roughly halving its stakes in Capital One and Nucor and trimming Bank of America and Kroger. Berkshire also repurchased $4.5 billion of its own shares, marking its largest quarterly buyback since 2021.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway increased its stake in Macy's by 141.82% during the period covered by its latest filing, bringing its holdings to 7.37 million shares worth roughly $173 million and giving it 2.79% ownership of the retailer as of June 29, 2026. The position, which represents just 0.06% of Berkshire's total portfolio, marks the conglomerate's first public bet on a department store chain in about 60 years. Macy's delivered a strong first quarter, with companywide comparable sales up 3% versus guidance of 0.5% to 1.5%, adjusted earnings per share of $0.13 beating a range that topped out at a penny, and net sales climbing 1.8% to $4.7 billion. The company raised its full-year outlook to net sales between $21.5 billion and $21.75 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $2.00 to $2.20, while returning $100 million to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. Analysts forecast free cash flow to expand from $690 million in fiscal 2026 to $955 million in fiscal 2031, and at 8.3 times forward free cash flow the stock could return over 35% within three years after dividends, though the average price target of $22.33 is 4.6% below current levels.
Berkshire Hathaway Raises Delta Air Lines Stake to 8.7%
Berkshire Hathaway increased its stake in Delta Air Lines to 8.7% as of June 30, up from 6.1% previously, according to regulatory filings. The move makes Delta the only airline Berkshire currently owns, after the conglomerate sold its holdings in major U.S. carriers during the pandemic. The larger position signals confidence in Delta as the industry grapples with fuel costs, capacity issues, and shifting travel demand. The filing reflects holdings as of June 30 and does not indicate whether Berkshire has changed its position since then.
Institutions Quietly Accumulate Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon
Institutional ownership in Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon continues to climb, with Berkshire Hathaway disclosing a new 48-million-share Alphabet position. Institutions hold 76.36% of Microsoft, 81.17% of Alphabet, and 68.69% of Amazon. Microsoft's commercial remaining performance obligations grew 84% to $678 billion, Azure crossed $100 billion in annual revenue, and 54 of 57 analysts rate the stock Buy or Strong Buy. Alphabet's Google Cloud revenue accelerated to $24.77 billion, up 82% year over year, and 58 of 64 analysts rate it Buy or Strong Buy. Amazon's AWS grew 36.7% year over year, its fastest pace in 18 quarters, with a $496 billion backlog and 59 of 62 analysts rating it Buy or Strong Buy.
Berkshire Hathaway raises Delta Air Lines stake 44%
Berkshire Hathaway increased its stake in Delta Air Lines by 44% during the second quarter of 2026, lifting its position to 57.3 million shares worth roughly $5.4 billion at the end of June. The move follows an earlier purchase that had built a Delta position worth about $2.6 billion as of the end of March 2026, during Greg Abel's first quarter as chief executive after taking over from Warren Buffett in January. Delta reported record second-quarter revenue of $17.7 billion, up 14% from a year earlier, with pretax profit of $1.4 billion and earnings of $1.56 per share. The airline is guiding to full-year earnings of $6.50 to $7.50 per share, marking 20% growth from last year, along with $3 billion to $4 billion in free cash flow.
Berkshire Hathaway Begins Spending Under CEO Greg Abel
Berkshire Hathaway became a net buyer of stocks for the first time in 15 quarters under new CEO Greg Abel, signaling an end to its prolonged capital hoarding. The company authorized over $4.5 billion in share buybacks during the second quarter, up from $235 million in the first quarter, and repurchased over $3.3 billion of stock in July alone. Berkshire bought around $23.5 billion of shares while selling $3.7 billion, for about $20 billion in net purchases, including a large position in Alphabet and more than $21 billion across other commercial and industrial names. The quarter also included the $6.8 billion all-cash acquisition of homebuilder Taylor Morrison. Operating earnings rose 16% year-over-year to $12.98 billion, while net earnings attributable to shareholders more than doubled to $25.67 billion, boosted by $12.68 billion in investment gains. Berkshire's cash and Treasury position fell to $365.5 billion from a record $397.4 billion three months earlier.
Greg Abel Plows $4.2 Billion Into Berkshire Buybacks
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel authorized $4.2 billion in stock buybacks during the second quarter of 2026, a sharp increase from $235 million in the first quarter. The move follows Warren Buffett's $77.8 billion in buybacks between 2018 and 2024, though Buffett authorized none in his final year as CEO in 2025. Berkshire can repurchase shares as long as its cash and cash equivalents remain above $30 billion, and the company currently holds $365 billion in dry powder. Abel has also invested over $20 billion in Alphabet since taking over as CEO at the beginning of 2026.
Berkshire Hathaway's Greg Abel Sells Bank of America, Buys Alphabet
Berkshire Hathaway's new CEO Greg Abel sold 30,230,000 shares of Bank of America in the second quarter, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of reductions and cutting the stake by 53% to nearly 549.5 million shares. Abel also purchased 24,541,369 Class A shares and 23,603,218 Class C shares of Alphabet, plus a $10 billion private placement announced June 1, making Alphabet Berkshire's third-largest holding at nearly $36.6 billion in combined market value. The Alphabet purchases ended 14 consecutive quarters of net stock sales for Berkshire. Alphabet holds a greater than 91% share of global search engine traffic and saw Google Cloud revenue jump 82% year over year in the June-ended quarter.
Berkshire Hathaway significantly increases its stake in Google
It was learned on the 14th that U.S. investment company Berkshire Hathaway significantly increased its stake in Alphabet, the parent company of Google, during the April-June 2026 quarter. Under newly appointed CEO Abel, the company has been actively purchasing stocks, as revealed in a report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This marks the second quarter since renowned U.S. investor Warren Buffett stepped down as CEO at the end of last year and Abel took over. In the quarterly earnings announced on the 8th, it became clear that Berkshire reduced the cash reserves Buffett had built up and adopted a more aggressive stance.
Greg Abel Deploys Over $38 Billion at Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway became a net buyer of stocks in the second quarter under new CEO Greg Abel, ending 14 consecutive quarters of net selling. The company purchased $23.5 billion of publicly traded equities while selling about $3.7 billion, and repurchased $4.5 billion of its own shares during the quarter. In July, Berkshire deployed at least another $10.1 billion through additional buybacks and the $6.8 billion acquisition of Taylor Morrison Home Corporation. The conglomerate also made a $10 billion investment in Alphabet, and its net liquidity fell to $364.7 billion at the end of June from $380.2 billion at the end of March. Operating earnings rose 16% to $12.98 billion, though GEICO's pre-tax underwriting profit fell 45%.
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