Berkshire Hathaway boosts Alphabet stake by 83% to $38B

Berkshire Hathaway nearly doubled its position in Alphabet during the second quarter of 2026, increasing its stake by 83% to roughly 106 million shares valued at approximately $37.8B. The move, revealed in Berkshire’s latest 13F filing, vaults Google’s parent company to the conglomerate’s third-largest US-listed equity holding, behind only Apple at $66B and American Express at $51.3B.

How the deal came together

Berkshire’s Alphabet position jumped from 57.8 million shares at the end of Q1 2026 to nearly 106 million shares by June 30. A significant chunk of that increase came through a $10B private placement completed in June, split evenly between two tranches: $5B allocated to Class A shares at $351.81 each and $5B to Class C shares at $348.20 each.

That private placement was part of Alphabet’s larger $80B equity raise designed to fund its expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Warren Buffett originally initiated the Alphabet investment, disclosing the position publicly during Q3 2025. He has been working closely with CEO Greg Abel on capital allocation decisions, a dynamic that reflects the ongoing leadership transition at the Omaha-based conglomerate.

Berkshire flips to net buyer after 14 quarters of selling

During Q2 2026, the firm purchased $23.5B in stocks while selling just $3.7B, making it a net buyer of equities for the first time in 14 consecutive quarters. Even after deploying capital aggressively, Berkshire’s cash balance sat between $364.7B and $365.5B as of June 30.

Beyond Alphabet, Berkshire also added positions in Delta Air Lines and homebuilder stocks during the quarter while exiting its stake in Constellation Brands.

Why Alphabet, why now

The timing of Berkshire’s Alphabet expansion aligns with a period of massive capital expenditure across the AI industry. Alphabet has been among the most aggressive spenders, and its $80B equity raise signals that management expects AI-related infrastructure needs to keep growing. By participating directly in the private placement, Berkshire secured shares at a fixed price rather than accumulating them on the open market, avoiding the price impact that a $10B buying spree from the world’s most-watched investor would inevitably create.

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