- BRK-B
- ^GSPC
After some early jitters related to his retirement as CEO, shares of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) have begun to pick up steam as investors grow more comfortable with Greg Abel’s leadership.
Although it’s important to keep in mind that the stock is still badly lagging the S&P 500 (^GSPC) this year.
AlphaSpace stat to know: 3.7%
Berkshire Hathaway shares are now trading at their highest price since Warren Buffett announced his retirement in May 2025, per Yahoo Finance AlphaSpace data. The occurrence has been fueled by a 3.7% advance in Berkshire’s stock price over the past month as weakness in tech stocks prompted a rotation back into perceived safe-haven plays.
Berkshire Hathaway operates generally stable businesses such as GEICO, BNSF railroad, utilities, and industrial manufacturing.
Even so, the stock is only up 4% this year compared to a 12.6% advance for the S&P 500 as investors wait for Berkshire to more aggressively deploy it’s $300 billion-plus cash pile.
(BRK-B)
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524.61+5.76(+1.11%)
At close: August 6 at 4:00:02 PM EDT
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On May 3, 2025, Buffett announced at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in Omaha, Neb., that he planned to retire as CEO at the end of the year and hand the reins to insider Greg Abel.
The announcement came as a complete surprise at the end of Buffett’s typical five-hour Q&A session with Berkshire shareholders. He said the only board members who knew it was coming were his two children, Howard and Susie Buffett.
Buffett officially stepped down as Berkshire’s CEO on Jan. 1, 2026. He remains chairman of the board.
The most recent Berkshire annual meeting marked the start of a new era, as it was the first time in six decades that Buffett was not the undisputed centerpiece on stage.
The “Oracle of Omaha” took a seat in the front row of the audience, a highly symbolic decision meant to provide a visible, living endorsement of the transition to Abel, who led from the stage.
The event kept its traditional lighthearted spirit, kicking off with a sports-inspired ceremony where Abel “retired” a jersey bearing the number 60 to honor Buffett’s six-decade tenure. They also aired a funny, cautionary deepfake video of an AI-generated Buffett asking Abel why investors should hold Berkshire’s stock long term.
Investors and analysts widely praised Abel’s debut performance as operationally sound, though very different from Buffett’s signature folksy charm.
The bottom line: It’s good to see investors crunch the numbers on a mostly steady performing non-AI business, while at the same time realizing Warren isn’t coming back as CEO.
