Berkshire Hathaway Sold 16 Stocks in Q1 but Warren Buffett and Greg Abel Still Have 70% in Just 7 Stocks By Lee Jackson Published May 21, 7:42AM EDT
Quick Read: Despite a massive selling spree in the first quarter, the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio still has almost 70% in just seven stocks. Many of the Q1 sales were stocks bought by portfolio manager Todd Combs, who left the company to go to JPMorgan. In dollar terms, proceeds from sales of equity securities totaled approximately $24.1 billion in the first three months of 2026, compared to $4.7 billion in the same period of 2025.
Warren Buffett stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway on December 31, 2025, after six decades leading the conglomerate he transformed from a struggling textile mill into a $1 trillion empire. The “Oracle of Omaha” left his successor, Greg Abel, with a very concentrated portfolio: 70% of Berkshire’s $381 billion portfolio is invested in just seven stocks. Abel, who has served as vice chair overseeing non-insurance operations, officially took over as CEO on January 1, 2026. At 95 years old, Buffett isn’t fully retiring—he will remain chair of the board and plans to continue coming to the Omaha headquarters as much as before. However, he has stated he will be “going quiet” and leaving all decision-making to Abel.
An astonishing 16 positions were entirely exited during the first quarter, in one of the most aggressive selling sprees the investment giant has done in years. Many of the top names were sold, and some large chunks of big names were also pared down but remain in the portfolio. A key factor behind the selling was the departure of portfolio manager Todd Combs. After he left Berkshire for an investment role at JPMorgan Chase, the firm sold the stocks in his portfolio, valued at roughly $15 billion. Still, total sales reached $24 billion, meaning Berkshire offloaded substantially more than just Combs’ holdings.
Despite the massive selling, which brought the portfolio’s total holdings from 40 positions down to just 26, making it one of Berkshire’s most aggressive single quarters in years, seven companies still account for just under 70% of the holdings.
Why do we cover Berkshire Hathaway stocks? Few investors have the results and reputation that Buffett has garnered over the past 60 years. Though he has stepped away from the CEO chair, his impact and investment guidelines are likely to remain in place long after he is gone. While investing has evolved since Buffett took control of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, buying good companies with products and services recognized worldwide and paying dividends will always remain a timeless approach.
Here are the seven stocks that account for almost 70% of Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio.
Alphabet
The mega-cap tech giant was a major addition in the first quarter, strengthening Berkshire’s growth potential. Alphabet ( NASDAQ: GOOGL | GOOGL Price Prediction ) is a holding company and pays a small 0.22% dividend. Berkshire Hathaway came in big in the first quarter, adding a massive 36.4 million Class A shares and 3.5 million Class C shares, which tripled the existing stake. Berkshire now owns 57,835,013 shares, which is 0.9% of the float and 6.8% of the portfolio.
The company’s segments include:
Google Services, which includes products and services such as ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Google Maps, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. Google Cloud provides infrastructure and platform services, collaboration tools, and other services for enterprise customers. Other Bets sells healthcare-related services and internet services. Google Cloud provides enterprise-ready cloud services, including Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace. Google Cloud Platform provides access to solutions such as:
Artificial intelligence (AI) offerings, including its AI infrastructure Vertex AI platform Gemini for Google Cloud Xybersecurity, data, and analytics Google Workspace includes cloud-based communication and collaboration tools for enterprises, such as Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Meet.
American Express
American Express ( NYSE: AXP ) is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation specializing in payment cards. The stock performed strongly in 2025 and comes with a dividend yield of 1.09%.
American Express is a globally integrated payments company that deals with card-issuing, merchant-acquiring, and card network businesses. The company offers products and services to customers worldwide, including consumers, small businesses, mid-sized companies, and large corporations. Its segments include:
U.S. Consumer Services, which offers travel and lifestyle services, as well as banking and non-card financing products. Commercial Services offers payment, expense management, banking, and non-card financing products. International Card Services provides services to international customers, including travel and lifestyle services, and manages certain international joint ventures and its loyalty coalition business. Global Merchant and Network Services operates a payments network that processes and settles card transactions, acquires merchants, and provides multichannel marketing programs, capabilities, services, and data analytics. Berkshire Hathaway owns 151,610,700 shares, 22% of American Express’s float and 14.2% of the portfolio. Truist Financial has a Buy rating with a $400 target price.
Apple
Apple ( NASDAQ: AAPL ) designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services, offering a small dividend of 0.35%. It is almost incomprehensible that the legacy technology giant, even after a recent fourth-quarter sale of 10 million shares and a surge in sales over the past two years, still holds a 227,917,808-share position that accounts for a stunning 20.7% of the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio, which holds 1.6% of Apple’s stock.
The company offers:
The iPhone, a line of smartphones Mac, a line of personal computers iPad, a line of multi-purpose tablets Wearables, home, and accessories comprising AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, and HomePod Apple also offers AppleCare support and cloud services, and operates various platforms, including the App Store, which enables customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, videos, games, and podcasts.
In addition, the company offers various services, such as:
Apple Arcade, a game subscription service Apple Fitness+, a personalized fitness service Apple Music, which gives users a curated listening experience with on-demand radio stations Apple News+, a subscription news and magazine service Apple TV+, which offers exclusive original content Apple Card, a co-branded credit card Apple Pay, a cashless payment service Wedbush has an Outperform rating with a $325 target price.
Bank of America
While Buffett has trimmed his position over the past two years and sold a whopping 50 million shares in the fourth quarter, this quality financial giant remains an exceptional long-term holding with a solid 2.17% dividend yield. Bank of America ( NYSE: BAC ) is a bank holding and financial holding company that reported impressive Q4 results. Berkshire Hathaway owns 513,624,165 shares, which is 7.9% of the portfolio and 7.2% of the float. Berkshire did lower its Bank of America position in Q1 2026, but only modestly. According to the Q1 2026 13F filing, it was reduced by just 0.71%, a very small cut compared to other positions.
Its segments include:
Consumer Banking offers a range of credit, banking, and investment products and services to consumers and small businesses. Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM) comprises two businesses: Merrill Wealth Management, which offers tailored solutions to meet clients’ needs through a comprehensive suite of investment management, brokerage, banking, and retirement products. Bank of America Private Bank provides comprehensive wealth management solutions. Global Banking offers a range of lending-related products and services, including integrated working capital management and treasury solutions, as well as underwriting and advisory services. Global Markets offers sales and trading services, as well as research services, to institutional clients across fixed income, credit, currency, commodity, and equity markets. Goldman Sachs has a Buy rating with a $67 target price.
Chevron
This American multinational energy company primarily focuses on oil and gas. Chevron ( NYSE: CVX ) is a safer option for investors looking to position themselves in the energy sector, and it pays a substantial 3.61% dividend, which was raised by 5% earlier this year.
The company operates integrated energy and chemicals businesses worldwide. Berkshire Hathaway bought a very well-timed 8 million additional shares in the fourth quarter, but sold a massive 46 million shares in Q1. Despite the sale, Berkshire still holds 84,375,856 shares, representing 4.2% of the float and 5.1% of the portfolio.
The company operates in two segments. The Upstream segment is involved in:
Exploration, development, production, and transportation of crude oil and natural gas Processing, liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas Transportation of crude oil through pipelines, and transportation, storage Marketing of natural gas, as well as operating a gas-to-liquids plant The Downstream segment engages in:
Refining crude oil into petroleum products Marketing crude oil, refined products, and lubricants Manufacturing and marketing renewable fuels Transporting crude oil and refined products by pipeline, marine vessel, motor equipment, and rail car Manufacturing and marketing of commodity petrochemicals, plastics for industrial uses, and fuel and lubricant additives It also involves cash management, debt financing, insurance operations, real estate, and technology businesses. Bank of America has a Buy rating with a $206 target price.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola ( NYSE: KO ) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. This company remains a top long-time holding of Buffett. Berkshire owns a massive 400 million shares, which is 9.3% of the float and 9.9% of the portfolio. The stock pays a dependable 2.54% dividend.
Coca-Cola is the world’s largest beverage company, offering consumers more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, the portfolio features 20 billion-dollar brands, including:
Diet Coke Coca-Cola Light Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Caffeine-free Diet Coke Cherry Coke Fanta Orange Fanta Zero Orange Fanta Zero Sugar Fanta Apple Sprite Sprite Zero Sugar Simply Orange Simply Apple Simply Grapefruit Fresca Schweppes Dasani Fuze Tea Glacéau Smartwater Glacéau Vitaminwater Gold Peak Ice Dew Powerade Topo Chico Minute Maid Globally, it is the top provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, juices, and juice drinks. Through the world’s most extensive beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the company’s beverages at a rate of over 1.9 billion servings per day. And remember that the company owns 19.5% of Monster Beverage ( NASDAQ: MNST ), which continues to deliver strong financial results. Morgan Stanley has an Overweight rating and a target price of $87.
Occidental Petroleum
After years of building this position, Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway are finally in the money on this company, which pays a 1.64% dividend. Occidental Petroleum ( NYSE: OXY ) is an international energy company with assets primarily in the United States, the Middle East, and North Africa. The company is an oil and gas producer in the United States, including the Permian and D.J. basins and offshore Gulf of America. Berkshire Hathaway has a large position in the company, owning 264,941,431 shares, representing 26.7% of the float and 4.9% of the portfolio.
Occidental’s oil and gas segment explores for, develops, and produces oil (including condensate), natural gas liquids (NGLs), and natural gas. The midstream and marketing segment purchases, markets, gathers, processes, transports, and stores oil (including condensate), NGLs, natural gas, carbon dioxide (CO2), and power. This segment provides flow assurance, maximizes the value of its oil and gas, and optimizes the company’s transportation and storage capacity. It also invests in entities that conduct similar activities, including low-carbon venture businesses.
A notable recent development was Occidental’s decision to sell its OxyChem subsidiary to Berkshire Hathaway, with the bulk of the proceeds expected to strengthen the company’s balance sheet and further concentrate its business on oil and gas. The move was especially interesting because Buffett had reportedly long been interested in OxyChem, and Berkshire now owns the business outright. Berkshire Hathaway completed its purchase of OxyChem from Occidental on January 2, 2026, giving Buffett full ownership of the chemicals business while providing Occidental with $9.7 billion in cash to reduce debt and sharpen its focus on energy. Mizuho has an Overweight rating and a $72 price objective. Follow 24/7 Wall St. on Google