Observed Signal · Aug 15, 2026 · Portfolio Reallocation · Source: Manager Magazin · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Berkshire Increases Alphabet Stake by 83%
Berkshire Hathaway raised its stake in Alphabet by 83% in Q2, growing to roughly 106 million shares valued at about $37.8 billion as of June 30. The holding includes a June-announced $10 billion investment tied to Alphabet's financing of AI infrastructure. Apple remained Berkshire’s largest equity holding (~$66 billion), followed by American Express (~$51.3 billion) and Alphabet. Berkshire bought $23.5 billion of stocks and sold $3.7 billion in Q2, ending a 14-quarter streak of net selling and reducing cash reserves from $380.2 billion to $364.7 billion. Berkshire fully exited its position in Constellation Brands and adjusted stakes in Delta Air Lines, Macy’s, Lennar, D.R. Horton and several financial and industrial firms. Warren Buffett remains chairman and says the Alphabet position originated with him; Greg Abel is running capital allocation as CEO.
A major institutional investor materially increased its stake in Alphabet, including a $10B-linked AI investment — a signal of institutional confidence in a leading ad-tech platform and potential acceleration of AI infrastructure spending with downstream implications for the ad/tech ecosystem.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Berkshire Hathaway increased its Alphabet stake by 83% in Q2 to about 106 million shares worth ~$37.8 billion as of June 30, 2026.
- The stake includes a June-announced $10 billion investment intended to finance Alphabet’s AI infrastructure.
- Berkshire bought $23.5 billion of stocks and sold $3.7 billion in Q2, ending a 14-quarter streak of net selling.
- Apple remained Berkshire’s largest equity position at ~$66 billion, with American Express at ~$51.3 billion and Alphabet at ~$37.8 billion.
- Berkshire fully divested its holding in Constellation Brands and adjusted positions in Delta Air Lines, Macy’s, Lennar, D.R. Horton and other companies.
Connected Companies & Entities
16 Entities mapped“The investment company Berkshire Hathaway increased its stake in Alphabet in the second quarter by 83 percent and made it the third-largest ...”
“Berkshire Hathaway held just under 106 million Alphabet shares worth around $37.8 billion as of June 30, after 57.8 million shares three mon...”
“Apple remained Berkshire's largest equity position with a value of $66 billion at the end of June....”
“It was followed by American Express with $51.3 billion and Alphabet with $37.8 billion....”
“At the same time Berkshire completely divested its stake in the spirits maker Constellation Brands, which it had held for one and a half yea...”
“The stake in Delta Air Lines rose in the second quarter by 44 percent to 57.3 million shares worth almost $5.4 billion....”
“The Macy’s position doubled to around 7.3 million shares with a value of $173 million....”
“The article was published by Manager Magazin reporting on Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio changes....”
“Buffett told CNBC last month that the Alphabet stake was his idea and said he and Abel coordinate on the group's capital allocation....”
“The group also includes brands such as Brooks, Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom and See’s....”
“The article includes a reporting credit to Reuters ('mje/Reuters')....”
“Positions were reduced at Ally Financial, Bank of America, Capital One, dialysis specialist DaVita, retailer Kroger and steel producer Nucor...”
“Positions were reduced at Ally Financial, Bank of America, Capital One, dialysis specialist DaVita, retailer Kroger and steel producer Nucor...”
“Positions were reduced at Ally Financial, Bank of America, Capital One, dialysis specialist DaVita, retailer Kroger and steel producer Nucor...”
“Positions were reduced at Ally Financial, Bank of America, Capital One, dialysis specialist DaVita, retailer Kroger and steel producer Nucor...”
“The article includes a reporting credit to Reuters ('mje/Reuters')....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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Berkshire Sells Big as Buffett Steps Down
Berkshire Hathaway was a net seller of publicly traded stocks in Warren Buffett's final quarter as CEO. The company sold Apple shares in each of the last three quarters (and in seven of the past nine), reducing its Apple position by more than 75% since summer 2023, though Apple remained Berkshire's largest equity stake at $60.3 billion. Berkshire also cut its Amazon holding to $478 million after selling 7.7 million shares (a 77% reduction) and reduced its Bank of America position substantially. The firm increased its Chevron stake by 6.6% (adding about $1.2 billion) and boosted Chubb by 9.3% (about $910 million). Berkshire added a small New York Times position valued at $395 million (about a 3.1% stake). Separately, Berkshire utility PacifiCorp agreed to pay $575 million to resolve U.S. government wildfire claims and says it has settled nearly 90% of known claims for over $2.2 billion.
Greg Abel deploys nearly $17B into tech and housing
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel moved quickly to deploy nearly $17 billion in two transactions: agreeing to buy homebuilder Taylor Morrison for $6.8 billion (excluding debt) and committing $10 billion to Alphabet via a discounted private placement tied to Alphabet’s AI fundraising. The deals signal Abel’s willingness to put Berkshire’s record cash hoard to work and to increase exposure to technology and AI infrastructure. Berkshire received a roughly 6.5% discount on the Alphabet placement. Analysts and academics quoted in the piece say the pace and tech focus mark a shift from Warren Buffett’s historical caution toward large-scale technology bets.
Berkshire CEO Abel outlines AI opportunities: energy and Alphabet stake
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel discussed the company's two primary AI investment avenues in a CNBC interview. The first involves supplying energy to AI data centers through Berkshire Hathaway Energy, which he sees as a significant opportunity, contingent on no negative impact on existing customers' rates and community acceptance. The second is Berkshire's nearly $36 billion stake in Alphabet, with a recent $10 billion purchase from the company at a 6.5% discount, part of Alphabet's $80 billion equity raise to fund AI infrastructure. Abel also touched on Japanese investments, the trading house stakes, and the Taylor Morrison acquisition, providing a broad view of Berkshire's strategic positioning in AI and other sectors.
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