Warren Buffett speaks at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on May 3, 2025.
CNBC
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway revealed a new position in alphabetGoogle’s parent company was the conglomerate’s 10th largest holding at the end of September, according to regulatory filings.
Berkshire took $4.3 billion of Alphabet stock public at the end of the third quarter, a surprising move given Buffett’s traditional value investing philosophy and reluctance to invest in high-growth tech stocks. While owned by Berkshire, apple Buffett has long called the company more of a consumer products company than a pure technology business.
The acquisition was also likely made by Berkshire investment managers Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, who were more aggressive with the technology name. One of them started investing Amazon Fast forward to 2019, and Berkshire still owns $2.2 billion worth of e-commerce stocks.
Alphabet has been the market’s standout winner this year, with its stock up 46%. Alphabet’s cloud business maintains strong momentum due to strong demand for artificial intelligence.
Buffett previously admitted that despite having insight into Google’s advertising potential, he “failed” by failing to make an initial investment. Geico, Berkshire’s auto insurance division, was an early customer of Google, paying the search engine $10 every time someone clicked on an ad.
Buffett said in 2018: “I had seen the product work and I knew what margins[the product]had. I didn’t know enough about the technology to know if this was really going to stop the competition.”
apple trimming
Berkshire continued to shed its huge Apple stake, reducing its position by another 15% to $60.7 billion in the quarter.
Buffett sold off all of his Apple shares in 2024, cutting Berkshire’s stake by two-thirds in a surprising move for an investor known for his long-term focus. Berkshire also reduced its holdings in the second quarter of this year.
Despite continued sales, the iPhone maker remains Berkshire’s largest shareholder.
The conglomerate also reversed its plans bank of america Staking increased by 6% and is worth just under $30 billion. Berkshire reduces holdings verisign and davita The same goes for the third quarter.
Berkshire has been net short in stocks for 12 consecutive quarters as valuations continue to rise in a tech-driven bull market.
Buffett, 95, will step down as CEO at the end of the year and be replaced by longtime vice president Greg Abel. Investors are closely monitoring Berkshire’s position for clues about the next era of leadership and how its investment approach will evolve.
