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Greg Abel Begins Active Capital Deployment at Berkshire Hathaway

His team is using the company’s huge cash cushion to buy a homebuilder, repurchase shares under the firm’s 10‑K rules, and make large stock bets that shift Berkshire toward faster, operating-focused decisions.

Overview

  • In May 2026 Berkshire agreed to buy Taylor Morrison for about $6.8 billion to consolidate its site-built homebuilding operations as a multi-year strategic play while the housing market sits near historic lows.
  • The company disclosed roughly $4.5 billion of share repurchases in the second quarter of 2026 under the 2025 Form 10‑K policy that lets the CEO, after consulting the chairman, repurchase stock judged below intrinsic value.
  • Berkshire still holds an unusually large cash balance—about $365 billion at the end of Q2 2026—so the buybacks did not approach the 10‑K floor that prevents cash falling below $30 billion.
  • Recent filings and reports show faster, larger public-equity purchases, including increased exposure to Alphabet and a reported roughly $10 billion private placement, raising concentration and valuation questions.
  • Investors are watching governance and timing: Abel’s moves test how the company balances decades‑long, operating-focused investments with near-term market judgment and the chairman consultation called for in the repurchase rules.