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“ Berkshire Hathaway sold approximately $143 billion in stocks during 2024, representing a massive, record-setting divestment strategy. This aggressive selling, which included heavy reductions in Apple and Bank of America holdings, resulted in net stock sales of roughly $134 billion for the year.
Key details regarding Berkshire's 2024 stock activity include:
Total Sales: Roughly $143 billion in equities were sold.
Net Sales: Approximately $134 billion.
Key Sales: Large portions of Apple and Bank of America were sold.
Purchases: Only about $9 billion in new stocks were purchased during the year.
Cash Pile: The massive sell-off helped increase Berkshire's cash and equivalents to a record $334.2 billion by the end of 2024. “

“ In 2023, Berkshire Hathaway sold $41 billion worth of stock. This was a significant increase in selling activity for Warren Buffett compared to previous years. During the first nine months of 2023, the company sold $32.8 billion in stocks and purchased only $9.1 billion, resulting in a net sale for the year.
Key details regarding 2023 stock activity:
Total Sales: $41 billion in shares were sold.
Net Sales: $134 billion in net stock sales occurred in 2024, which was a massive increase over the 2023, but it was noted in the search that 2023 saw $41 billion sold, compared to $34 billion in 2022.
Key Sales: Buffett began reducing, or trimmed, positions in major holdings like Apple and Bank of America.“

“ Berkshire Hathaway has significantly reduced its stock buybacks since the record pace of 2021, with total repurchases between 2022 and early 2024 amounting to less than $20 billion, following a shift to net selling and a halt in buybacks after May 2024. The company repurchased $8 billion in 2022, and with limited activity in 2023 and early 2024, total buybacks have been minimal.
Key Buyback Details (2022–2025):
2022: Berkshire repurchased approximately $8 billion of its own stock.
2023: Buybacks continued at a lower pace, with reported quarterly amounts including $2.38B (Q1), $799M (Q2), $1.04B (Q3), and $925M (Q4).
2024-2025: Buybacks slowed further in early 2024 ($2.6B in Q1, $300M in Q2) and ceased entirely after May 2024, with no shares repurchased during the first nine months of 2025.
Total Activity: From 2018 through mid-2024, total buybacks reached roughly $78 billion, but the pace dropped significantly after 2021.
Context: Warren Buffett halted buybacks as the stock price increased, contributing to a record cash pile of $381.6 billion by late 2025. “ That wasn’t hard. Is Brk to large or is stock market timing hard? Thank you for your attention to the facts. Happy Valentine’s Day.

The facts are, brk doesn't have a size problem, we have a capital allocation problem. He net sold over 100 billion in securities the past few years.

He didn't buy 50 billion brkb below 470 the past few years.

He didn't buy 10 billion SPY etc a year the past five years.

brkb still hasn't initiated a small quarterly dividend like meta, googl, ndva, etc.

brk is running low on potential, shareholder friendly moves.

My guess, buying back brkb below 500 is less painful to Buffett than a small dividend so I'm guessing we are about to hear brk was a buyer below 480 the past three months.

Not all brkb old timers are into excuses and fairy tales, Buffett proved what he's been preaching for 60 years, market timing is very hard!


At least 200 billion of our current cash balance is a result of forgetting our roots and who we use to be! ::))

Buffett proved what he's been preaching for 60 years, market timing is very hard!

Timing stock prices is indeed hard. Pricing is pretty easy though, the only difficult part being sticking with it. That's why he's stuck to pricing rather than timing.

Mainly it involves ignoring the clarion calls of "swing ya bum" from armchair enthusiasts who know better.

Buybacks have a wonderful theoretical circularity. A firm with disciplined capital allocation is worth a lot, so buybacks at a reasonable price seem good. But a firm that does buybacks at merely reasonable valuation levels isn't a disciplined capital allocator (buybacks at fair value give zero incremental value to remaining shares) so the business isn't that attractive after all. The fewer buybacks they do, the more they should do. The more they do, the fewer they should do.

Don't swing, ya bum.

Jim

“ Don't swing, ya bum.

Jim“ Does 400- 500 billion in cash sound about right into lower short rates?

“At least 200 billion of our current cash balance is a result of forgetting our roots and who we use to be! ::))”

Really? Seems like Berkshire has been sticking doggedly to its knitting, while the investing world has changed. In the US at least. Permanently? Maybe somewhat. There’s less friction, less skim.

“ Seems like Berkshire has been sticking doggedly to its knitting, while the investing world has changed. In the US at least. Permanently? Maybe somewhat. There’s less friction, less skim.“ So, the markets are wrong and Buffett’s stock sales were brilliant and well timed?

“So, the markets are wrong and Buffett’s stock sales were brilliant and well timed?”

I didn’t say that.

Berkshire hasn’t changed. Buffett hasn’t changed. He buys when he sees value, sometimes sells when he does not, or sells to mitigate risk. He obviously thinks the market is very risky right here, hence the huge cash pile. Rule number one and all that.

Berkshire might be about to change. I suspect rule #1 will still be operative. Maybe even more so for awhile. Greg might be ultra cautious at first. Which means you might get what you wish for, though I doubt it will do much for the stock price.

Be interesting to watch and participate.

“ He obviously thinks the market is very risky right here, hence the huge cash pile. Rule number one and all that.“ He has thought that for years, how long before it was wrong rather than early?

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