Key facts
- Berkshire bought $2.4 billion of stocks and sold $2.8 billion in the third quarter, per Business Insider.
- Berkshire repurchased $9.6 billion of its own stock, which the report called the busiest buyback period in years.
- Berkshire's operating income fell 6% to $12.7 billion on lower insurance underwriting and investment income.
- Abel accelerated buybacks in consultation with Buffett, according to Business Insider.
- Berkshire stock rose from below $500 at the end of September to above $570 in the week of the report.
Berkshire Hathaway reported third-quarter earnings on Saturday, November 7, 2026, its first full quarter under CEO Greg Abel, according to Business Insider. The conglomerate was a net seller of stocks in the quarter, buying $2.4 billion and selling $2.8 billion, a fall from the second quarter when it bought a net $20 billion of stocks.
Berkshire's cash pile shrank by around $8 billion to $357 billion after subtracting $20.5 billion in Treasury payables. Business Insider said the pile has still more than doubled since the end of 2023.
Abel repurchased $9.6 billion of Berkshire stock in the quarter, which the report described as the busiest period for buybacks in years and a change made in consultation with Buffett. Berkshire stock rose from below $500 at the end of September to a record high above $570 in the week of the report, according to Business Insider.
Berkshire reported $12.7 billion of operating income, a 6% drop from the same quarter a year earlier. The report attributed the decline to lower insurance underwriting income and insurance investment income, which offset higher profit at BNSF Railway, Berkshire Hathaway Energy and the manufacturing, service and retailing businesses. Berkshire owns Geico, See's Candies and Duracell and holds stakes in Apple, Coca-Cola and American Express.
Buffett stepped down as CEO at the end of 2025 and as chairman in September 2026, Business Insider reported. Shareholders will learn which stocks Berkshire bought and sold when it files its third-quarter portfolio disclosure the following week, the report said.