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This Week's Exclusive Article How Berkshire Hathaway Performed During Buffett's Final QuarterBy Jordan Chussler. 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 firm he built 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 it was new Berkshire CEO Greg Abel who penned his first annual letter to shareholders, the results announced over the weekend were the last to bear Buffett's influence. Here's how Berkshire performed in 2025 and in its final quarter under Buffett, and what investors can expect going forward under 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 with Buffett at the helm fell short of a celebratory send-off. Insurance investment income fell by nearly 25%, operating earnings were down more than 29%, and insurance underwriting profits declined by roughly 54%. The company—which, through its subsidiaries, operates in industries from insurance and freight rail transportation to global utilities—attributed 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 under newly installed CEO Abel. Overall, earnings per share (EPS) of $4.73 missed analyst expectations by $0.44, while revenue of $94.23 billion beat estimates of $92.91 billion. Full-year operating profit fell 6% to $44.49 billion, and net income for the year dropped 25% to $66.97 billion. Still, Berkshire ended the quarter with a near-record cash reserve of $373.3 billion—down from a record $381.6 billion in Q3—giving Abel ample firepower to pursue major acquisitions and reshape the portfolio. Buffett's final moves helped leave the portfolio in solid shape heading into the leadership transition. Since taking control 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 with reinvested dividends exceeded 6,099,294%, compared with the S&P 500's 46,061%, as Abel noted in his inaugural letter. Buffett's Concluding Portfolio Moves for Berkshire According to the company's most recent Form 13F filing, which details securities Berkshire bought, sold, and held in Q4, Buffett remained active rather than idle in his final months at the firm. Unsurprisingly, Magnificent Seven member Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) remained Berkshire's largest holding at nearly 228 million shares. However, Buffett's largest net buy in Q4 was an increased stake in global property and casualty insurer Chubb (NYSE: CB), which the company raised by 0.59%; CB has gained nearly 10% year-to-date (YTD). Buffett also expanded Berkshire's position in oil major Chevron (NYSE: CVX) by 0.15%—a prescient move as the energy sector has dominated the S&P 500 so far this year, up more than 23%. For context, materials is the second-best performing sector with a gain near 17%, while tech has lost more than 2% in 2026. Chevron itself is up nearly 20% YTD. Media company The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) saw Berkshire increase its stake by 0.13%, making it the third-largest Q4 purchase; the stock is up more than 14% YTD. Taken together, Buffett's three biggest Q4 buys had an average gain of 14.66% through the first two months of the year. At the same time, Berkshire trimmed several positions, most notably Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) (-0.63%), Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) (-0.59%), and DaVita (NYSE: DVA) (-0.28%)—the latter a leading provider of outpatient dialysis services for patients with chronic kidney failure and end-stage renal disease. That trimming proved timely. Amazon's struggles—well-publicized over the past year—continued into 2026, with the stock down more than 7% YTD. Bank of America has been hurt by weakness in the financials sector, which is the worst-performing S&P 500 sector so far this year, and BAC is down nearly 11% YTD. The reduction in DaVita was arguably Buffett's only misstep: the health care company has outperformed, with shares up more than 36% YTD. When Buffett stepped away, 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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