OMAHA, Nebraska, April 23, 2026, 11:34 (CDT)
Greg Abel is moving decisively at Berkshire Hathaway, now overseeing almost all of the company’s $300 billion stock portfolio. He’s cut back on stocks associated with Todd Combs, his predecessor in this area, and is channeling new funds toward Japanese investments. These initial steps give investors the most concrete sense yet of how Warren Buffett’s heir apparent intends to manage Berkshire’s capital.
Berkshire’s May 2 quarterly results and its annual gathering in Omaha are coming up fast, with a more detailed 13-F disclosure set for mid-May. Investors have been combing through Abel’s pledges to stay the course, but actual decisions are finally emerging—some signals on what stays from Buffett’s approach, and what Abel might cut.
This time, the structure’s changed. Barron’s says Abel controls roughly 94% of Berkshire’s equity portfolio after Combs exited in December to join JPMorgan Chase. Ted Weschler, still in the mix, is down to about 6%. Reuters reports Abel isn’t likely to bring in anyone new. That’d be a much tighter grip on decision-making than Buffett had envisioned for Berkshire’s future leadership.
The big picture hasn’t really shifted. According to Barron’s, Abel hasn’t touched Berkshire’s core stakes in Apple, Coca-Cola, American Express, Moody’s, or the main Japanese trading companies. This week, a Motley Fool analysis found the top 10 positions continue to account for almost 80% of the portfolio.
Japan is the clearest stage for his influence. In March, Berkshire announced plans to acquire a 2.49% stake in Tokio Marine, a deal putting about $1.8 billion on the table, while outlining plans to collaborate with the insurer on reinsurance and joint strategies around investments and M&A. By the end of 2025, Berkshire’s positions in five Japanese trading houses reached $35.4 billion. Abel, for his part, places these stakes alongside Berkshire’s biggest long-term U.S. assets.
According to a Motley Fool analysis posted on Yahoo Finance Thursday, filings indicate Abel increased stakes in Itochu, Marubeni, and Sumitomo around mid-March, then initiated a position in Tokio Marine just days after. The article points out that with U.S. valuations running high, Berkshire’s incoming chief appears to be hunting for better value abroad.
Recent U.S. filings still catch Buffett’s final moves at the helm. According to a 24/7 Wall St. piece out Wednesday, Berkshire scaled back on Apple, Bank of America, Pool, and Amazon. The February disclosure details the numbers: Apple holdings down 4%, Bank of America shaved by about 9%, and Amazon slashed by more than 77% during the quarter ending Dec. 31.
Investors, lately, have been tuning in not just to deal sizes but to Abel’s delivery. Evan Pondel, who runs Triunfo Partners, thought the new CEO’s first annual letter gave him “a chance to establish his ‘voice, tone and strategy.’” Cathy Seifert at CFRA wanted to see “business as usual”—and to her, Abel “hit the mark.” Dan Hanson from Neuberger Berman added that the letter should help settle worries about Abel’s readiness to step in. Reuters
Still, shuffling the deck early doesn’t get at the core issue: performance. Berkshire’s operating profit for the fourth quarter dropped 30%. Meyer Shields at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods called the results a broad miss versus expectations. Seifert has flagged that even if buybacks give a short-term boost, the company needs stronger fundamentals to keep that momentum. Weakness in the businesses themselves could leave questions hanging, no matter how much cleanup goes on in the portfolio.
Abel has brought back Berkshire’s buyback program, spending roughly $14.6 million—the after-tax total of his own pay—on Berkshire shares for his personal account, saying it puts him in step with other shareholders for the long haul. The key signals arrive May 2 and again mid-May, when investors get to see if the new CEO is just closing out Buffett’s final quarter or already starting to reshape Berkshire’s direction.
