Warren Buffett’s Successor, Greg Abel, Has 63% of Berkshire Hathaway’s $355 Billion Portfolio Invested in Just 5 Standout Stocks
This year has represented a historic shift for the trillion-dollar company that Warren Buffett helped build. Following the Oracle of Omaha’s retirement as Berkshire Hathaway‘s (NYSE: BRKA)(NYSE: BRKB) CEO on Dec. 31, 2025, Greg Abel took over the company’s day-to-day operations. This includes overseeing its $355 billion investment portfolio.
Abel didn’t waste any time overhauling Berkshire’s portfolio. He sent 16 stocks packing in the March-ended quarter and reduced six other positions.
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But one trait that Abel and his predecessor share is portfolio concentration. Abel, like Buffett, favors concentrating Berkshire Hathaway’s investment capital into a handful of “best ideas.” Based on Aug. 5 closing values, 63% ($222.3 billion) of the portfolio that Warren Buffett’s successor oversees is invested in just five standout stocks:
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL): $70.88 billion (20% of invested assets)
American Express (NYSE: AXP): $52.91 billion (14.9%)
Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO): $34.73 billion (9.8%)
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC): $32.49 billion (9.1%)
Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL)(NASDAQ: GOOG): $31.28 billion (8.8%, both classes combined)
Leaning on legacy holdings
The first thing to note about Abel’s portfolio is that it’s packed with legacy positions.
Credit-services provider American Express and beverage behemoth Coca-Cola have been continuous holdings since 1991 and 1988, respectively. Thanks to their low cost bases, Amex and Coca-Cola are generating annual yields on cost of 45% and 65%. There’s simply no reason for Abel to sell these highly profitable positions.
In Warren Buffett’s 2023 annual letter to shareholders, he described some of his company’s holdings as “indefinite.” Coca-Cola and Amex were two of the companies the Oracle of Omaha singled out, along with Occidental Petroleum and the five Japanese trading houses.
Tech is suddenly on the menu
Arguably, the biggest difference between Buffett and Abel is that tech stocks are decidedly on the menu with Berkshire Hathaway’s new boss.
Although Buffett began buying Apple in early 2016, and he admitted in a recent interview with CNBC’s Becky Quick that he initiated Berkshire’s position in Alphabet, tech stocks have never been his forte. Buffett often viewed Apple as a consumer goods company and valued its loyal customer base, exemplary management team, and market-leading share buyback program.