Berkshire Hathaway Adds $4.9 Billion Alphabet Stake After Further Trimming Apple

Berkshire Hathaway Trims Apple Again as Buffett Adds $4.9 Billion Alphabet Stake in Strategic Portfolio Shift

In a significant reshaping of one of the world’s most closely watched investment portfolios, Berkshire Hathaway trims Apple again while quietly building a fresh $4.9 billion stake in Alphabet. The latest regulatory filings in the United States, highlighted by Bloomberg, reveal that Warren Buffett and his investment deputies are making calibrated moves ahead of a major leadership transition at Berkshire Hathaway.

The 95-year-old Buffett, who has led the conglomerate for nearly six decades, is preparing to step down as CEO. Every shift in Berkshire’s stock positioning is now being scrutinised for clues about its long-term strategy in the post-Buffett era. The filings show a mix of familiar reductions, new high-conviction bets, and a careful reallocation of Berkshire’s record cash pile.

Alphabet Emerges as a New High-Conviction Bet

While Berkshire Hathaway trims Apple again, the standout development is the newly disclosed Alphabet position. Berkshire purchased 17.85 million Alphabet shares, valued at roughly $4.9 billion at the end of the latest quarter. For a company historically wary of tech stocks, this is a major signal.

Alphabet’s business mix—AI, cloud services, digital advertising, and expanding data infrastructure—directly aligns with the next decade of global technology growth. Investment analysts view Berkshire’s entry as a strategic pivot toward companies positioned at the heart of artificial intelligence and cloud adoption.

What makes this more significant is the timing. With Buffett nearing retirement, the stake is widely interpreted as a forward-looking decision influenced by successors Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, pointing to the future direction of Berkshire’s investment philosophy.

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Berkshire Hathaway Trims Apple Again, Continuing a Multi-Quarter Sell-Down

The filings confirm that Berkshire Hathaway trims Apple again, reducing its holding from 280 million shares to 238.2 million in the quarter. Over the past several quarters, Berkshire has sold nearly three-quarters of the Apple stock it once controlled. Yet, even after the latest round of selling, Apple remains Berkshire’s largest equity holding at $60.7 billion, accounting for nearly 25% of its total portfolio.

Buffett has long praised Apple as Berkshire’s “third business,” alongside insurance and the railroad BNSF. But the multi-quarter trimming suggests Berkshire is locking in gains, diversifying, and creating room for new high-conviction positions.

The strategic recalibration is notable but not abrupt. Analysts say the trimmed stake reflects prudent risk balancing rather than diminishing faith in Apple’s long-term value.

Bank of America and D.R. Horton Mark Additional Portfolio Adjustments

Beyond the headline that Berkshire Hathaway trims Apple again, the filings reveal further shifts:

• Berkshire sold 37.2 million shares of Bank of America, reducing its stake to 7.7%.

• It completely exited D.R. Horton, the largest U.S. homebuilder.

Bank of America remains Berkshire’s third-largest holding, but macroeconomic factors—tougher regulations, margin pressure, and a slower credit cycle—appear to have influenced a cautious reduction.

The exit from D.R. Horton indicates a continued pullback from housing-linked equity positions as the U.S. housing market adapts to higher interest rates and cooling demand.

Record $382 Billion Cash Reserve Drives Selective Deployment

One of the most striking elements behind the portfolio reshaping is Berkshire’s enormous $382 billion cash pile—the largest cash reserve in its history. This financial firepower allows Berkshire to continue making high-conviction, selective moves at scale.

In recent months, Berkshire has deployed cash into a series of targeted opportunities, including:

• A $9.7 billion acquisition of Occidental Petroleum’s petrochemical unit

• A $1.6 billion stake in UnitedHealth Group

• The newly revealed $4.9 billion Alphabet purchase

These moves underscore Berkshire’s strategy of cautious but deliberate capital deployment while maintaining flexibility for bigger acquisitions or market dislocations.

With much of the conglomerate’s cash still unused, analysts expect further moves in upcoming quarters, particularly as Buffett’s successors gradually take a more active role in strategic decisions.

A Portfolio Transition That Signals Berkshire’s Future

The fact that Berkshire Hathaway trims Apple again even as it buys Alphabet reflects the evolving nature of its investment playbook. Long-time Berkshire watchers note that the portfolio is slowly shifting toward companies better aligned with long-term technological transformation and diversified earnings streams.

The transition also mirrors the philosophical handshake between Buffett and the next generation of Berkshire leadership. While Buffett remains deeply rooted in value investing and predictable cash-flow businesses, Combs and Weschler have demonstrated a stronger appetite for large-cap technology and healthcare.

With Buffett nearing the end of his tenure, these shifts may foreshadow the type of Berkshire we will see in the next decade—more tech-aligned, more diversified, and more responsive to emerging megatrends such as AI, cloud infrastructure, and digital healthcare.

A Measured Transition, Not a Radical Pivot

Market analysts stress that Berkshire’s reshuffling is strategic and intentional—not disruptive. Even with reductions, Apple and Bank of America remain foundational holdings. The Alphabet stake, while large, reflects measured optimism rather than aggressive expansion.

As Berkshire navigates the transition to a post-Buffett era, the message is clear: adaptation without abandoning its core principles.

The latest developments reinforce that Berkshire Hathaway trims Apple again, but more importantly, it is steadily building the structure of its next chapter—one carefully prepared while Buffett is still at the helm.

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