{
  "id": 312366,
  "title": "Berkshire Hathaway finally spends massive cash pile, buying $10 billion in Alphabet stock and repurchasing $4.5 billion in shares",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/berkshire-hathaway-finally-spends-massive-cash-pile-buying-10-billion",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-08T14:15:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fortune",
    "slug": "fortune",
    "url": "https://fortune.com/2026/08/08/berkshire-hathaway-cash-pile-10-billion-alphabet-stock-brk-repurchasei-greg-abel-warren-buffett/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Berkshire Hathaway's latest financial report, new CEO Greg Abel utilized a substantial portion of the conglomerate's cash reserves, investing $10 billion in Alphabet and repurchasing approximately $4.5 billion worth of shares. Following Berkshire's second-quarter earnings announcement, the company's cash holdings decreased to $365.5 billion from nearly $400 billion at the end of March. While Berkshire disclosed adding over $24 billion worth of various stocks to its portfolio, specific details of these acquisitions were not revealed until a separate filing later in the month. Abel, who assumed the CEO role in January after Warren Buffett's retirement, had previously announced a resumption of share buybacks after more than two years. However, the company's modest repurchase of $234 million in the first quarter did not meet investor expectations. The more substantial second-quarter purchases indicated Berkshire's commitment to buybacks, though they were still below the anticipated range of $5 billion to $11 billion. The standard for purchases is that shares must be sold below their intrinsic value, a decision made by Abel and Buffett, who do not follow a predetermined spend amount. Most of the recent repurchases occurred in June, and the current stock price may be influencing the frequency of purchases, as it reached a 52-week high on Thursday. Berkshire had previously acquired Taylor Morrison, a homebuilder, for $6.8 billion in July 2024, though this acquisition was not reflected in the current quarter's figures. In addition to Alphabet, Berkshire completed a $25.667 billion profit, or $17,868.44 per Class A share, doubling its bottom line and showcasing a significant paper gain in the value of its investments. Operating earnings grew to $12.983 billion, or $9,038.30 per Class A share, from $11.16 billion, or $7,759.58 per Class A share. Berkshire's diverse portfolio includes major insurers like Geico, utilities, BNSF Railway, and various manufacturing and retail companies such as Precision Castparts and See's Candy.",
  "summary": "Berkshire's report suggested that it had added more than $24 billion worth of commercial, industrial and other stocks to its portfolio.",
  "key_points": [
    "Berkshire Hathaway invests $10 billion in Alphabet stock",
    "Company repurchases $4.5 billion in shares",
    "Greg Abel resumes share buybacks after two-year hiatus"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MarketWatch Top",
        "title": "Berkshire Hathaway profit doubles, fueled by a near $13 billion investment gain",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/berkshire-hathaway-profit-doubles-fueled-by-a-near-13-billion",
        "published": "2026-08-08T13:43:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Seeking Alpha News",
        "title": "Santander, Berkshire Hathaway among gainers; HSBC, Sezzle in losers: week's financials wrap",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/08/santander-berkshire-hathaway-among-gainers-hsbc-sezzle-in-losers",
        "published": "2026-08-08T14:00:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Quartz",
        "title": "Berkshire Hathaway posted higher profit as Greg Abel ramped up buybacks and stock purchases",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/berkshire-hathaway-posted-higher-profit-as-greg-abel-ramped-up",
        "published": "2026-08-10T11:50:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CNBC Technology",
        "title": "Iran negotiations, Berkshire's stock purchases, Shein's tariff troubles and more in Morning Squawk",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/iran-negotiations-berkshires-stock-purchases-sheins-tariff-troubles",
        "published": "2026-08-10T12:31:20.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}