Buffett remains active at 96, but Berkshire's shares aren't doing much
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- Warren Buffett turns 96 on Sunday and remains actively involved as Berkshire chairman, continuing to make major equity decisions including the recent $36.6 billion Alphabet stake.
- Berkshire Hathaway's Class B stock has fallen from an Aug. 10 intraday high of $537.74 to $505.00 at Friday's close, leaving it up just 0.5% YTD and trailing the S&P 500 (up 12.7%) by 12.2 percentage points.
- Barron's cites possible reasons for the lag: uncertainty over CEO Greg Abel, disappointment that the $365.5 billion cash position hasn't been more aggressively reduced, the no-dividend policy, and the absence of a $100 billion-plus acquisition.
- President Trump's June ethics disclosure shows five Berkshire transactions (three buys, two sells); he was a net buyer that month thanks to a June 18 purchase of $1–5 million, though Bloomberg notes the portfolio appears to be managed by automated third-party strategies.
- Berkshire repurchased $4.5 billion of its own shares in Q2 2026 and reported $365.5 billion in cash as of June 30, down 8% from March 31.
- In a 2025 archive clip, Buffett argues 'trade should not be a weapon,' advocating balanced trade and noting U.S. prosperity depends on global prosperity.
Why it matters: Berkshire's 12-point lag behind the S&P 500 puts a spotlight on Greg Abel's tenure as the cash pile hits $365.5 billion — investors clearly want more aggressive capital deployment, a dividend, or a transformational deal, none of which has materialized yet. With Buffett turning 96, the clock is ticking on a transition that markets seem to be pricing in.
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