Berkshire trims Apple, sheds four stocks, mum on new investment
Berkshire Hathaway on Wednesday said it has trimmed its huge stake in Apple and shed four common stock holdings, and kept investors guessing on what could be a major new investment by Warren Buffett.
In a regulatory filing describing its U.S.-listed stock holdings at the end of 2023, Berkshire said it sold 10 million Apple shares in the fourth quarter, but still owned more than 905 million shares worth about $174 billion.
Though Buffett has been driving Berkshire's investment in Apple, the stock sales in the iPhone maker could have been made by one of his portfolio managers Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, who oversee some Berkshire investments.
Berkshire reported no holdings in homebuilder DR Horton, insurer Globe Life, insurance and investment company Markel and Brazilian credit card processor StoneCo, after holding more than $1 billion of those stocks at the end of September.
The Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate also boosted its stake in oil company Chevron, one of its biggest holdings, and reduced its stakes in computer and printer maker HP and media company Paramount Global.
For a second straight quarter, Berkshire obtained permission from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to temporarily keep one or more of its holdings confidential.
It occasionally requests such treatment when it is making big investments, including multibillion-dollar stakes in Chevron, Exxon Mobil, IBM and Verizon Communications.
This is because investors often try to piggyback on what Berkshire does, reflecting Buffett's
