Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway just dropped a bombshell filing revealing a $4.3 billion crush on Alphabet—Google’s parent—while slashing its Apple holdings faster than a teen ditching skinny jeans. As the Oracle of Omaha preps to hand over the keys to his $1.1 trillion empire on January 1, this last equity confessional feels like Buffett’s mic-drop moment before the encore ends.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission got an eyeful Friday when Berkshire spilled the beans on its portfolio as of September 30. Picture the filing as Buffett’s parting love letter to investors: 17.85 million Alphabet shares, clocking in at a cool $4.3 billion, suddenly Berkshire’s tenth-favorite U.S. stock play.
Buffett, the value-investing grandpa who’s dodged tech like it was kale at a steakhouse, now owns a slice of the search giant that powers our existential queries. “We screwed up,” confessed the late Charlie Munger back in 2019, lamenting their Google oversight, while Buffett nodded like a man realizing he’d left the oven on for decades.
Apple took another haircut. Berkshire trimmed from 280 million shares to 238.2 million in the third quarter, offloading nearly three-quarters of its original 900 million-plus stash—leaving $60.7 billion as its top holding, because apparently, iPhones are still the consumer candy Buffett can’t quit.
Buffett insists Apple isn’t tech; it’s just a fancy gadget maker, like a blender with better marketing. Meanwhile, Alphabet’s ad machine echoes Geico’s pitch-perfect insurance jingles, the kind that stick in your head like gum on a loafer.
Who pulled the trigger? Buffett’s the big-swing guy for mega-buys, but lieutenants Todd Combs and Ted Weschler handle the daily doodles, with incoming CEO Greg Abel lurking like the understudy polishing his lines. Insiders whisper it’s a team effort, but let’s be real—Buffett’s fingerprints are all over this Alphabet affection.
The numbers tell a tale of tidy restraint. Berkshire scooped $6.4 billion in stocks but dumped $12.5 billion from July to September, marking the twelfth straight quarter as net sellers, with Apple likely footing most of the bill.
Cash? Oh, it’s ballooning to a record $381.7 billion, enough to buy a small country’s worth of Dairy Queen Blizzards. That’s the conglomerate’s war chest swelling as Buffett eyes the exit, prepping Abel for the throne amid valuations pricier than a Michelin-starred steak.
Bank of America felt the trim too, shedding 6% more shares—extending a sell-off since last year—yet clinging to third-place status in Berkshire’s lineup. No tears there; it’s like pruning a hedges that keep growing back sassier.
DR Horton, the homebuilder, got the full boot—Berkshire waved goodbye to that stake entirely. In its place? Fresh nibbles at Chubb insurance and Domino’s Pizza, because nothing says “value investing” like betting on polices and pepperoni.
Buffett’s caution isn’t new; it’s been over a year since Berkshire bought back its own shares, and nearly a decade without a blockbuster deal. Analysts nod sagely: valuations are frothy, like over-whipped cream on that See’s Candies fudge.
The empire itself? A sprawling 200-business beast, from BNSF railroads chugging freight dreams to energy outfits, factories, and retail darlings like Fruit of the Loom undies and Dairy Queen treats. It’s less a company, more a Midwestern mall with global ambitions.
Alphabet shares perked up 1.7% in after-hours trading, as if the market whispered, “Buffett likes it? Pass the popcorn.” Investors treat his picks like golden tickets, even if this one’s got a techy aftertaste.
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