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Further Reading from MarketBeat Media How Berkshire Hathaway Performed During Buffett's Final QuarterReported by Jordan Chussler. Originally Published: 2/26/2026. More than 60 years after taking a controlling interest in Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B), former CEO Warren Buffett stepped away from the company he transformed into a multinational conglomerate on the final day of 2025. On Saturday, Feb. 28, the holding company reported full-year and Q4 2025 earnings, marking the final fiscal year and quarter with the Oracle of Omaha at the helm. Although new CEO Greg Abel penned his first annual letter to shareholders, the results announced over the weekend were the last to bear Buffett's fingerprints. Here's how Berkshire performed in 2025 and in its final quarter, and what investors can expect going forward under the leadership of its new chief executive. Berkshire's Final Quarter Under Buffett Silver: 20% + 68%
Tim Plaehn just found a Silver ETF that delivers monthly income (up to 20% in annual distributions) plus share appreciation (68% in 5 months). The precious metal has become one of the best investments for growth AND income right now. Click here and start to collect in the next 30 days. Key Points - Warren Buffett officially retired in December, ending a nearly 61-year tenure that delivered a 6,099,294% return for Berkshire Hathaway.
- During Buffett’s final quarter as CEO, Berkshire earnings took a hit, but much of that was attributed to impairment charges and write-downs.
- Berkshire is still sitting on a cash reserve of $373.3 billion, giving new CEO Greg Abel plenty of funds to deploy as he takes over the company’s portfolio.
- Special Report: [Sponsorship-Ad-6-Format3]
On the surface, Berkshire's last quarter under Buffett was not the going-away party the market envisioned. Insurance investment income fell nearly 25%, operating earnings dropped more than 29%, and insurance underwriting profits declined by roughly 54%. But the company—which through its subsidiaries operates across industries ranging from insurance and freight rail transportation to global utilities—attributed the lower earnings to $4.5 billion in impairments and write-downs, including charges related to Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ: KHC) and Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY). Berkshire has since exited its Kraft Heinz position entirely in Q1 2026, a move completed under CEO Abel. Earnings per share (EPS) of $4.73 missed analyst expectations by $0.44, while revenue of $94.23 billion beat the $92.91 billion analysts expected. Full-year operating profit fell 6% to $44.49 billion, and net income for the year dropped 25% to $66.97 billion. Still, the company maintained a near-record cash reserve of $373.3 billion—down from a record $381.6 billion in Q3—which positions Abel to pursue major acquisitions and strengthen the portfolio going forward. Buffett left the portfolio in strong shape, aided in part by his final moves in the quarter. Since taking the reins in 1965, Buffett led Berkshire to average annual gains of 19.7%, nearly double the S&P 500's compounded gains over the same period. Over that span, Berkshire's cumulative gain was roughly 6,099,294%, compared with the S&P 500's 46,061% with reinvested dividends, as Abel noted in his inaugural letter to shareholders. Buffett's Concluding Portfolio Moves for Berkshire According to the company's recently filed Form 13F filing, which reflects the securities Berkshire bought, sold, and held in Q4, Buffett was not resting on his laurels before stepping away. Unsurprisingly, Magnificent Seven member Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) remains Berkshire's largest holding at nearly 228 million shares. Perhaps less expected was Buffett's top buy in Q4: the company increased its position in global property and casualty insurer Chubb (NYSE: CB) by 0.59%. Shares of CB have gained nearly 10% year-to-date (YTD). Buffett also expanded Berkshire's stake in oil major Chevron (NYSE: CVX) by 0.15%—a move that has since looked prescient, with the energy sector dominating the S&P 500 this year (up more than 23%). For context, materials posted the second-best performance among sectors with a gain of nearly 17%, while tech has lost more than 2% so far in 2026. Chevron is up nearly 20% YTD. Media company The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) saw the third-largest position increase for Berkshire, with the company adding 0.13% to its stake. The stock is up more than 14% YTD, leaving Buffett's three biggest Q4 buys with an average gain of 14.66% through the first two months of the year. Meanwhile, the firm trimmed numerous positions, with the three most prominent reductions being Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) (-0.63%), Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) (-0.59%), and DaVita (NYSE: DVA) (-0.28%)—a leading provider of kidney care services that operates outpatient dialysis centers for patients with chronic kidney failure and end-stage renal disease. Those reductions proved timely. Amazon's struggles—which have been well-publicized—continued in 2026, with the stock down more than 7%. Bank of America has been caught up in the broad struggles of the financials sector, whose 4.14% YTD performance is the weakest among S&P 500 sectors; BAC shares have tumbled nearly 11% YTD. The Q4 reduction in DaVita was arguably Buffett's only misstep: the health care company has performed exceptionally well in early 2026, with shares up more than 36% YTD. At the end of Buffett's tenure, Berkshire's top five portfolio holdings were: - Apple: 22.6%
- American Express (NYSE: AXP): 20.46%
- Bank of America: 10.38%
- Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO): 10.2%
- Chevron: 7.24%
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