Berkshire Hathaway’s Alphabet Bet Grows Under Greg Abel as Stake Swells 83% in a Single Quarter

Alphabet has quietly become one of the most significant equity positions inside Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio, and the conglomerate’s new leadership appears eager to push the bet further. According to the latest quarterly filing, Berkshire boosted its Alphabet stake by 83% during the quarter — one of the more aggressive moves since Greg Abel took over as chief executive from Warren Buffett.

The position’s origins predate Abel’s tenure. Berkshire first opened a position in Alphabet while Buffett was still at the helm, and the holding has expanded steadily since. Alphabet now ranks as Berkshire’s third-largest equity holding, occasionally swapping places with another name depending on day-to-day share price movements.

Where Alphabet Fits Among Berkshire’s Core Holdings

Buffett long organized his most cherished investments into a trio of names he repeatedly praised in shareholder letters and public appearances. Coca-Cola and American Express, acquired in the 1990s, remain the two longest-tenured positions — holdings Buffett has said Berkshire would never sell, a promise the company has kept. The third member was Apple, which Buffett described as a permanent pillar of the portfolio.

Even so, Berkshire has pared back its Apple position considerably in recent years, divesting more than three-quarters of the stake after the holding grew so large that it represented more than half of the equity portfolio. Buffett framed the sales as a matter of concentration rather than conviction — a portfolio-management decision, not a loss of enthusiasm for the company.

Against that backdrop, Alphabet’s rise through the ranks is notable. If Abel continues adding to the position, Alphabet could cement itself alongside — or even among — the kinds of generational holdings Buffett traditionally favored, marking a shift in how the conglomerate’s equity portfolio is structured under its new CEO.

Market Snapshot

Alphabet shares traded at $338.46 recently, down 1.3% on the day, with a market capitalization of roughly $4.14 trillion. Apple, Berkshire’s other major technology holding, changed hands at $332.41, up 0.12%, valuing the iPhone maker at approximately $4.60 trillion.

Source: original release

What to watch

• Berkshire’s next quarterly 13F filing, which will show whether Abel added to the Alphabet position again.
• Alphabet’s upcoming earnings report, including results from Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets.
• Any further changes to Berkshire’s Apple stake and how the overall portfolio composition evolves under Abel.