Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) Stock: New CEO Just Made His Mark With Three Big Q1 Bets

TLDR

• New CEO Greg Abel sold Berkshire’s entire stakes in Visa and Mastercard during Q1 2026
• Berkshire bought 39.8 million Delta Air Lines shares, now worth $2.8 billion
• Berkshire tripled its Alphabet stake to 54.2 million A shares, now worth $23 billion
• Abel exited 16 smaller positions including Pool Corp, UnitedHealth, and Amazon
• Apple remains Berkshire’s largest holding at 20.7% of the $330 billion portfolio

Berkshire Hathaway’s new CEO Greg Abel wasted no time reshaping the conglomerate’s $330 billion portfolio in the first quarter of 2026. The changes signal a clear shift in style from his predecessor Warren Buffett.

Abel sold Berkshire’s entire 8.3 million-share stake in Visa and all of its Mastercard holdings. Neither position was large — each represented about 1% of the total portfolio. But the exits send a clear message about where Abel stands on the credit card sector right now.

American Express was untouched. It now sits as Berkshire’s second-largest holding, worth $47 billion.

Stepping Back Into Airlines

Buffett famously dumped around $4 billion worth of airline stocks in early 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He never went back. Abel did.

Berkshire picked up 39.8 million Delta Air Lines (DAL) shares in Q1 2026, a position now worth $2.8 billion. DAL was trading at beaten-down levels when Berkshire entered. The stock has risen since then. At roughly 1% of the portfolio, it’s not a massive bet, but it’s a real one.

The move shows Abel is willing to take positions Buffett had no appetite for.

Tripling Down on Alphabet

Berkshire already held a small Alphabet (GOOGL) position heading into 2026. Abel tripled it. The fund now holds 54.2 million A shares worth $23 billion, making it Berkshire’s seventh-largest holding. Berkshire also added 3.6 million C shares worth roughly $1 billion.

GOOGL is currently trading around $383, down about 1.2% on the day.

Buffett famously avoided tech stocks. Abel clearly doesn’t share that hesitation.

Alphabet is using AI to defend and grow its core business. Google Search hit $60.4 billion in revenue in Q1 2026, a 19% year-over-year increase — the fourth straight quarter of accelerating growth. New features like AI Overviews and AI Mode are credited with driving that momentum.

Apple Still on Top

Apple remains Berkshire’s biggest position at 20.7% of the portfolio, even after Buffett sold around three-quarters of the stake in 2024 and 2025. That trimming was done to reduce concentration risk and lock in gains after the position grew to over $170 billion at its peak.

Buffett told CNBC earlier this year that he’s comfortable with Apple remaining the top holding and left the door open to buying more at the right price.

Coca-Cola holds steady as another major AI-adjacent position. It accounts for 9.9% of the portfolio and paid Berkshire $816 million in dividends last year.

Abel also cleaned house on 16 smaller positions that had little impact on overall portfolio performance. Exits included recently purchased Pool Corp, UnitedHealth, and Amazon. The move appears aimed at cutting distraction and tightening focus.

As of Q1 2026, three AI-linked stocks — Apple, Alphabet, and Coca-Cola — make up 37.4% of Berkshire’s entire portfolio.

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