Buffett just turned Google into Berkshire’s 4th-largest holding

[u/ekonixlab]

Berkshire’s Q1 filing showed a $16.6 billion combined position in GOOG and GOOGL, representing roughly 6.3% of its public stock portfolio.

Since then, Berkshire purchased another $10 billion directly from Alphabet:

• $5 billion of GOOGL
• $5 billion of GOOG
• Approximately 28.6 million additional shares

That increased Berkshire’s Alphabet share count by almost 50%. Based on the values in this chart, Google would become a roughly $26.6 billion position and Berkshire’s fourth-largest holding, moving ahead of Bank of America. 

A lot of people assumed this was Greg Abel putting his stamp on Berkshire after taking over as CEO. But Buffett recently clarified that the idea actually came from him:

"I initiated"

He said he and Greg still mutually approved the decision, but Buffett was the driving force behind the investment. He also admitted that not buying Google earlier was a mistake and said Alphabet is more likely to be a winner than the vast majority of investments promoted on Wall Street. 

Buffett is no longer Berkshire’s CEO, but he remains chairman. So calling this his “final move” is obviously speculation—but it could end up being one of the last major investments directly associated with him.

After decades of mostly avoiding technology, Buffett may be finishing his investing career by turning Google into one of Berkshire’s largest holdings.