Buffett Watch: Berkshire was a net seller of stocks in Buffett's final quarter as CEO
#Warren Buffett#Berkshire Hathaway#Stock Sales#Apple Stake#Chevron Investment#New York Times#PacifiCorp#Wildfire Settlement
📌 Key Takeaways
Berkshire was a net seller of stocks in Buffett's final quarter as CEO
Apple remains the biggest equity stake despite significant reductions
Berkshire increased positions in Chevron and Chubb while adding a small stake in The New York Times
Berkshire's utility PacifiCorp settled federal wildfire claims for $575 million
📖 Full Retelling
During Warren Buffett's final quarter as CEO in late 2023, Berkshire Hathaway sold more equities than it purchased, continuing to reduce its major stakes in Apple and Bank of America while slashing its modest Amazon.com holding, as the investment conglomerate adjusted its portfolio under the legendary investor's leadership. Despite these sales, Apple remains Berkshire's biggest equity stake valued at $60.3 billion, though the position has been reduced by over 75% since summer 2023. Meanwhile, Bank of America has seen its stake reduced by 75% since mid-2024 through six consecutive quarters of sales, while Amazon's holding was slashed by 77% during the fourth quarter alone, dropping from $2.2 billion to just $478 million. The company simultaneously increased its positions in Chevron by 6.6% (adding $1.2 billion) and in Chubb by 9.3% (adding $910 million), while also establishing a new $395 million stake in The New York Times Company, marking a small return to the newspaper business six years after Berkshire sold its newspaper holdings. In a separate development, Berkshire's utility subsidiary PacifiCorp agreed to pay $575 million to resolve federal wildfire claims from 2020 and 2022 in California and Oregon, while announcing plans to sell $1.9 billion in assets in Washington State to improve financial stability amid more than $50 billion in potential wildfire liability claims.
American multinational conglomerate holding company
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. () is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Originally a textile manufacturer, the company transitioned into a conglomerate starting in 1965 under the management of chairman and CEO Warren Buffett (from 1970 to 2025) and vice...
Warren Edward Buffett ( BUFF-it; born August 30, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist who is the chairman and former CEO of the conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his success, Buffett is one of the best-known investors in America. According to Forbes, as of January 2026, Buf...
Berkshire Hathaway's net selling in its final quarter as CEO signals a shift away from large tech holdings toward more diversified assets such as insurance and energy. The move also reflects Warren Buffett's cautious stance on high‑growth tech stocks and may influence future portfolio strategy.
Context & Background
Berkshire sold Apple shares, cutting stake by 75% but still largest holding
Increased positions in Chevron and Chubb, adding $1.2B and $910M respectively
Added a small stake in The New York Times, marking a return to newspapers
PacifiCorp settled wildfire claims and sold assets to improve financial stability
What Happens Next
Berkshire is expected to continue trimming high‑valuation tech positions while bolstering insurance and energy holdings. The company may also focus on managing wildfire risk and exploring further divestitures to strengthen its balance sheet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Berkshire sell Apple shares?
To reduce concentration in a single stock and diversify its portfolio.
What does the NYT stake mean for Berkshire?
It is a small return to newspapers, reflecting a historical interest but not a major investment.
How will PacifiCorp's settlement affect Berkshire?
It reduces liability exposure and improves the utility's financial stability.
Will Berkshire continue selling tech stocks?
It is likely to maintain lower tech exposure while focusing on insurance and energy.
Original Source
In this article BRK.B BRK.A Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT (This is the Warren Buffett Watch newsletter, news and analysis on all things Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. You can sign up here to receive it every Friday evening in your inbox.) Berkshire was a net seller of stocks in Buffett's final quarter as CEO During Warren Buffett's last quarter as CEO, Berkshire Hathaway sold more equities than it bought, continuing to whittle away at its big Apple and Bank of America stakes and slashing its already modest Amazon.com holding. Berkshire significantly increased its stakes in Chevron and Chubb in the three months ending December 31 and added a small position in shares of The New York Times Company , six years after selling its dozens of newspaper holdings . Berkshire has sold Apple shares in each of the last three quarters and in seven of the past nine three-month periods, reducing its shares by a bit more than 75% since the summer of 2023. Even so, Apple remains Berkshire's biggest equity stake with a value of $60.3 billion based on Friday's close. The Apple sales, however, have helped #2 American Express close the gap from almost $150 billion to just under $8 billion. It's six straight quarters of sales for Bank of America, reducing that stake's shares by 75% since the middle of 2024. Berkshire's Amazon.com stake was valued at $2.2 billion at the end of the third quarter. It's now down to $478 million after the sale of 7.7 million shares during the fourth quarter, a cut of 77%. In 2019, when Amazon first appeared in Berkshire's portfolio with an $860 million position, Buffett went out of his way to tell CNBC's Becky Quick it wasn't his decision , he didn't think it was a significant holding, and no big "personality change" had reversed his traditional aversion to tech stocks. Barron's suggests it was portfolio manager Todd Combs who bought the shares and the big reduction may be related to his December departure to join JPMorgan Chase . Inve...
