Berkshire Hathaway boosted stake in Alphabet, homebuilders in the second quarter

In the second quarter, Berkshire Hathaway expanded its stake in Alphabet, the parent company of Google, by acquiring approximately 48.1 million shares. This increased Berkshire's total shareholding in Alphabet to around 106 million, valued at approximately $37.76 billion as of June 30. This investment was part of a $10 billion stock purchase made by CEO Greg Abel in June. In comparison, Berkshire held just 17.8 million Alphabet shares worth $5.6 billion at the end of December.

Beyond Alphabet, Berkshire Hathaway continued to increase its investments in the U.S. homebuilding sector. Its stake in homebuilder Lennar grew nearly 30% in the second quarter, while the company also established a small new stake in D.R. Horton valued at $580,504 at the end of June. Additionally, in July, Berkshire completed a $6.8 billion acquisition of homebuilder Taylor Morrison.

Berkshire also significantly boosted its investments in the airline industry, increasing its shares in Delta Air Lines and Macy's. These stakes were worth around $5.37 billion and $173 million, respectively, as of June 30. The company pruned its investment portfolio during this period, reducing its holdings in several companies such as Kroger, Nucor, and DaVita.

Berkshire also disposed of all its shares in Constellation Brands and pared its shares in several financial companies, including Bank of America, Ally Financial, and Capital One Financial.