Berkshire invests $4.3bn in Alphabet, making it tenth-largest US holding.
Buffett trims Apple stake further, reducing exposure amid high market valuations.
Portfolio moves coincide with impending leadership transition to Greg Abel.
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. bought 17.9mn shares of Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, in the third quarter while also continuing to reduce its holdings in Bank of America Corp. and Apple Inc., Mint reported citing a regulatory filing.
The disclosure comes at a time when Warren Buffett's 60-year tenure as chief executive officer is nearing its end.
31 October 2025
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As of September 30, Berkshire owned 17.85mn Alphabet shares, valued at $4.9bn as of Friday's market close, according to a filing it made with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on November 14.
In the meantime, Berkshire sold almost three-quarters of the more than 900mn shares it previously owned in the iPhone manufacturer Apple, reducing its holdings to 238.2mn shares from 280mn in the third quarter. Apple continued to be Berkshire's largest stock holding, valued at $60.7bn, reported Reuters.
Why Berkshire Bought Alphabet
In a significant move, Berkshire invested $4.3bn in Alphabet, purchasing 17.9mn shares of the Google parent company, making Alphabet its tenth largest holding in the United States, according to Reuters.
Ted Weschler and Todd Combs, Berkshire's investment managers, are likely to be behind this move because they believe Google's AI and cloud businesses have enormous growth potential,. One of them initiated Berkshire’s investment in Amazon back in 2019 and the conglomerate still holds $2.2bn worth of Amazon shares, reported CNBC. Alphabet’s strong 46% rally this year – due to the demand for artificial intelligence and strong momentum in its cloud division – probably added to its appeal. However, it is not clear whether who actually made large investments.
Why Berkshire Trimmed Apple
According to CNBC, Berkshire Hathaway has been selling more of its Apple shares, cutting its huge position again by another 15% in the quarter to $60.7 billion — even though Apple is still its biggest investment.
Buffet went on to sell shares in Apple since 2024, which surprised many because he is usually seen as a long-term-focused investor. Berkshire also sold some of its stakes in Bank of America, Verisign and DaVita. Due to extremely high market prices, the company has been selling more stocks than it has been purchasing for the past three years. Investors are observing these actions in anticipation of Buffett's impending retirement in order to predict how Berkshire's approach may shift under Greg Abel.
