Earlier this month, Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) released a very important quarterly SEC filing. Although this filing, outlining the buys and sells that the investing house made during the most recent quarter, is routine for Berkshire, this one marks the first time we get a look at what the company is doing under its new management.
As most of the investing world is probably aware, Berkshire’s legendary long-term CEO, Warren Buffett, stepped down from the company he has helmed since the 1960s at the beginning of the year. Although Buffett remains the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, his longtime deputy, Greg Abel, has stepped into the driver’s seat. The 13F filing that was released on 15 May gives us our first look at how Berkshire’s new CEO is running the show.
It has certainly not disappointed those looking for indications of a new direction for Berkshire. So today, let’s get into which shares the company was buying over the first three months of 2026.
Berkshire’s stock market buys are a surprise
In an arguably strange move for a company whose management has always prided itself on being a net buyer of shares, Berkshire was a net seller in the most recent quarter. In fact, Abel seems to be stamping his mark on the Berkshire portfolio, with a shocking 22 positions in individual shares reduced over the period. 16 of those 22 were sold out entirely. We’ll cover those sells later today, so keep your eye out for that.
In contrast, Berkshire added to just five positions, two of them new portfolio additions.
By far the biggest addition was to Berkshire’s existing holdings of Google owner Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL). Alphabet was already a sizeable investment for Berkshire. But the company’s stake more than tripled over the quarter, going from 17.8 million shares at the end of 2025 to 57.8 million by 31 March.
Incredibly, that makes Alphabet the fifth-largest position in Berkshire’s portfolio today, helped along by the company’s healthy performance over 2026 (up 21.5%) so far too. That’s a big deal for the notoriously tech-phobic Berkshire.
The other positions that Berkshire added to last quarter were the New York Times Co (NYSE: NYT) and home construction company Lennar Corp (NYSE: LEN) (NYSE: LEN.B).
Berkshire tripled its stake in the fabled newspaper and media company, The New York Times, while its stake in Lennar got a smaller US$270 million boost.
Airlines make (another) return
The positions that Berkshire initiated during the quarter were Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE: DAL) and department store Macy’s Inc (NYSE: M). Berkshire is now the proud owner of 39.8 million Delta shares (worth around US$2.8 billion) and 3.04 million Macy’s shares (US$55 million).
The Delta position is indeed very interesting. Two decades ago, Buffett famously waxed lyrical about the dangers of buying airline stocks, only to pick up major stakes in several airlines just before the pandemic struck. He subsequently sold out of all of them. So to see Delta back in the Berkshire stable is quite notable.
In addition to these American positions, Berkshire also continued to build out its position in the Japanese holdings companies it has been amassing for a while now. CNBC reports that Berkshire upped its stake in Mitsubishi Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation this year by a further 11.1% and 10.2%, respectively.
The post-Buffett age at Berkshire Hathaway has well and truly begun.
The post Berkshire Hathaway just bought these stocks appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.
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Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has positions in Alphabet and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Alphabet, Berkshire Hathaway, Lennar, and The New York Times Co. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Delta Air Lines. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Alphabet and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.