Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Berkshire Trims Chevron Stake and Sells 16 Stocks in Q1 Portfolio Overhaul

The moves reflect profit-taking after oil climbed above $100 a barrel because of Middle East shipping disruptions.

Overview

  • Berkshire’s Q1 13F filing, disclosed Tuesday, shows the firm sold roughly 45.7 million Chevron shares for more than $8 billion while keeping about 84.3 million shares worth roughly $17 billion.
  • The filing also shows Berkshire completely exited 16 positions in the quarter, including UnitedHealth, Visa, Mastercard, Domino’s Pizza and Amazon.
  • At the same time the company increased or opened stakes in Alphabet — more than tripling its Class A holding and adding Class C shares — and bought new positions in Macy’s and Delta Air Lines.
  • Chevron reported strong first-quarter results with about $2.8 billion in adjusted earnings and $7.1 billion in cash from operations, a performance its CEO linked to disruptions in global shipping lanes.
  • Analysts and coverage frame Berkshire’s trades as position-size management that locked large gains on Chevron (initial purchases near $65 that sold near $183 yield roughly 180% on early buys) and signal a more active reallocation strategy under CEO Greg Abel that could lead to further portfolio changes.