Important points
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Berkshire Hathaway recently acquired new stakes in Delta and Macy’s during Greg Abel’s initial quarter as CEO, according to a filing on Friday.
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The company also reduced its holdings in several firms, including Amazon, Mastercard, UnitedHealth, and Visa.
Following the appointment of a new CEO, Berkshire Hathaway is reworking its investment portfolio.
The conglomerate added stakes in Delta Air Lines and Macy’s, all under the leadership of Greg Abel, who took over as CEO after Warren Buffett stepped down late last year after a remarkable 60-year tenure. Buffett has mentioned that he is still involved in investment decisions.
After the news, Delta Air Lines’ stock increased by 3% in after-hours trading, recovering slightly after a 2% drop during regular sessions. Macy’s stock also experienced a boost, rising more than 5% in after-hours trading.
Why this matters to investors
Investors are keenly observing how Berkshire’s investment approach evolves with Greg Abel at the helm, following the departure of the iconic Warren Buffett.
Berkshire now holds roughly 39.8 million shares of Delta Air Lines, but its stake in Macy’s is about 3 million shares—just a fraction of its top holdings. Delta’s stock has faced challenges recently due to concerns over rising fuel costs amid ongoing conflicts, and year-to-date, it has only risen about 1%, while Macy’s has dropped nearly 17%.
Interestingly, Berkshire significantly increased its investment in Alphabet, more than tripling its stake to nearly 58 million shares from 17.8 million in the last quarter. Even after trimming its holdings for the third straight quarter, Apple remains its biggest investment, with around 228 million shares, unchanged.
The company also divested from Amazon, Mastercard, UnitedHealth, and Visa. Following this, UnitedHealth saw its stock price decline over 4% during after-hours trading, while the others remained relatively stable.
This shift might suggest that Abel is making strategic adjustments to ease the process of stock selection. Notably, Todd Combs, who was a part of Berkshire, left to join JPMorgan in late 2025.
Since the beginning of the year, Berkshire Hathaway’s stock has seen a decline of about 4%, which some associate with uncertainties surrounding Abel’s leadership and the loss of the Buffett premium. In contrast, the S&P 500 Index has risen by approximately 8% during the same timeframe.
