Overview
- As of June 30, 2026 Berkshire’s cash on hand fell to $365.5 billion from $397.4 billion at March 31, reflecting the company’s first meaningful quarter of cash deployment since 2022.
- The company repurchased $4.5 billion of its own shares in Q2 and Barron’s estimated about $3.4 billion more were bought back in July, reversing a long stretch of minimal buybacks.
- Berkshire was a net equity buyer in Q2, increasing stock holdings by roughly $20 billion, including a disclosed $10 billion investment in Alphabet that moved the company back into net buying after 14 quarters of net selling.
- Underlying business results were mixed: consolidated operating profit rose about 16% to $12.98 billion, while insurance results weakened with underwriting profit down 13%, investment income down 9%, and GEICO underwriting profit down roughly 45%.
- Market observers view the moves as a clear signal of Abel’s willingness to act on capital allocation and say the coming detailed Q2 investment‑portfolio filings will be key to judging which positions Berkshire added or trimmed and how this will affect future float and returns.