US-Holdinggesellschaft: Berkshire Hathaway kauft mehr eigene Aktien zurück
Der Konzern kaufte im dritten Quartal eigene Aktien für 9,6 Milliarden Dollar zurück. Zugleich investiert der Konzern in neue Unternehmen.
New York - US holding company Berkshire Hathaway has accelerated its purchase of its own shares, acquiring $9.6 billion worth of company shares in the third quarter, the Omaha, Nebraska-based corporation announced on Saturday. From the start of the year to the midpoint, Berkshire had bought shares worth $4.8 billion, according to the company's filing.
This suggests that CEO Greg Abel is more inclined to spend Berkshire's substantial cash reserves than his predecessor, billionaire investor Warren Buffett. The 96-year-old Buffett stepped down as board chairman in September but remains a titular leader of the company. He had been struggling to find suitable takeover targets in the later years of his 60-year tenure.
As of September, Berkshire's liquid assets had fallen to $356.9 billion from $380.2 billion at the end of March. The company's operating profit fell by six percent to $12.71 billion in the quarter, mainly due to a 26 percent drop in profit from its insurance division. Besides share buybacks, CEO Abel has also invested in other companies.
In this year alone, Berkshire bought shares of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, to support its expansion in artificial intelligence, and acquired the homebuilder Taylor Morrison for $6.8 billion in July, as well as a four percent stake in the Italian software company Bending Spoons.
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