Berkshire Hathaway triples Alphabet stake and invests in Delta and
Macy's under new CEO
[May 16, 2026] By
JOSH FUNK
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Berkshire Hathaway more than tripled the size of its
investment in Google's parent company and bought over $2.6 billion worth
of Delta Airlines stock as Greg Abel settled into the CEO job after
taking over from Warren Buffett at the start of the year.
The conglomerate also dumped a number of other stocks, including Visa,
Mastercard, Domino's Pizza, Amazon and United Healthcare after the
departure late last year of Todd Combs, who was one of the two
investment mangers Buffett hired to help manage the portfolio.
Buffett was always reluctant to invest in tech companies because he said
he didn't understand them well enough to predict the long-term winners.
Buffett did make an exception to that rule near the end of his career by
buying a massive Apple stake after he recognized how devoted consumers
are to that company's iPhones and computers.
Abel appears to be more comfortable because by the end of March
Berkshire owned nearly 58 million Alphabet shares worth almost $17
billion. Just three months earlier, Berkshire held only 17.8 million
Alphabet shares worth $5.6 billion.
Berkshire picked up nearly 40 million shares of Delta stock during the
first three months of the year. Buffett has something of a sordid
history with airline investments over the years after having bought
their stocks heavily more than once before eventually dumping them.
Buffett told shareholders in 2008 that “if a farsighted capitalist had
been present at Kitty Hawk, he would have done his successors a huge
favor by shooting Orville down” because every airline has struggled to
maintain a competitive advantage ever since the Wright brothers took to
the air.
Berkshire also established a small new stake in Macy's that was worth
nearly $55 million at the end of March.
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People walk past large portraits of Berkshire Hathaway's Warren
Buffett, left, and CEO Greg Abel inside the Berkshire Hathaway
annual meeting on Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. (AP
Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz)
 Berkshire never comments on the
moves it makes to its $280 billion stock portfolio from quarter to
quarter because it doesn't want to discuss what it is buying and
selling. Earlier this month, Abel just led his first shareholders
meeting as CEO while Buffett sat on the floor with the rest of the
board of directors.
Many investors have followed Berkshire's portfolio closely over the
years because they liked to copy Buffett's moves. That may not be
the case going forward at least until Abel establishes more of a
record as a stock picker. He has spent his career operating
companies like Berkshire's collection of major utilities.
But a couple of the stocks that Berkshire just revealed new stakes
in Friday did jump after the conglomerate detailed its investments
in a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Macy's
and Delta stock prices both popped after Berkshire's disclosure, but
Alphabet's stock price hardly changed.
The Omaha, Nebraska-based company also owns dozens of other
businesses including major insurers like Geico, BNSF railroad, huge
manufacturers like Precision Castparts and an assortment of retail
and service businesses that includes such well-known brands as
Helzberg Diamonds, See's Candy and Dairy Queen.
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