Warren Buffett speaks at the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on May 4, 2024.
CNBC
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway further reduced its stake in Apple in the fourth quarter and initiated a new position in The New York Times, according to a new securities filing.
The Omaha-based conglomerate disclosed its position in the iPhone maker fell 4.3% to $61.96 billion, according to InsiderScore data. Even with the cuts, Apple remains Berkshire’s largest holding.
Berkshire announced in the third quarter that it had reduced its stake in Apple and started investing in Alphabet, also known as the Magnificent Seven. The company also reduced its holdings in Apple stock in the second quarter of last year, after cutting its holdings by two-thirds in 2024.
Apple rose about 9% in 2025, winning for the third year in a row, but still underperforming the S&P 500 index, which rose more than 16% last year. Stocks have lagged even further this year, falling about 3%. In fact, just last week I experienced my worst day since April 2025.
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Apple stock, year to date
It’s unclear whether the move was made by Buffett or investment managers Todd Combs and Ted Weschler. Buffett views Apple as a consumer products company rather than a pure technology business, and the move may reflect that he is making the portfolio more manageable for his successor.
In addition to reducing its holdings in Apple, Berkshire unveiled a relatively small $351.7 million stake in The New York Times Company. This position is ranked 29th out of 41 positions.
Berkshire Hathaway’s Top 10 Holdings (as of end of 4th quarter)
Ticker name value ($ billion) change number shares (%) AAPL Apple 61.96-4.3AXP American Express 56.09N/ABAC Bank of America 28.45-8.9KO Coca-Cola 27.96N/ACVX Chevron 19.846 .6MCOM Moody’s 12.6N/AOXYOccidental Oil 10.89N/ACBChubb10.699.3KHCK Raft Heinz 7.9N/AGOOGL Alphabet 5.59N/A
Source: InsiderScore
The fourth quarter was Buffett’s last at the helm of Berkshire, where Greg Abel, who had been vice chairman of non-insurance operations, took over as CEO at the beginning of the year.
Prior to Mr. Buffett’s retirement, structural reforms within the company, including Mr. Combs, were announced. The former Berkshire investment manager and Geico CEO joined JPMorgan Chase & Co. in January to lead its new security and resiliency initiatives after stepping down in December.
Mr. Buffett first announced at Berkshire’s annual meeting last May that he intended to ask the Berkshire board to replace Mr. Abel. Although Buffett is no longer CEO, he remains chairman of the board.
