The latest quarterly regulatory filing for Berkshire Hathaway reveals a significant increase in its stake in Google's parent company, Alphabet, alongside a continued expansion of its holdings in the U.S. homebuilding sector. The Omaha-based conglomerate also continued to reduce its positions in financial stocks and several other holdings. The filing was submitted on Friday evening.
Earlier this year, current CEO Greg Abel took over the reins from Warren Buffett. In June, he agreed to a $10 billion investment in Alphabet stock, further building on the position Berkshire Hathaway began establishing last autumn. During the second quarter, Berkshire purchased approximately 48.1 million additional shares of Alphabet, bringing its total holdings to about 106 million shares. As of June 30, the market value of this stake was roughly $37.76 billion. In contrast, as of the end of December, the company held only 17.8 million shares, valued at around $5.6 billion.
Earlier, Alphabet had announced plans to raise $80 billion in capital to fund the construction of computing infrastructure to support its artificial intelligence business. Beyond technology stocks, Berkshire continued to expand its investments in the U.S. homebuilding sector. Its stake in homebuilder Lennar increased by nearly 30% in the second quarter, and it established a new, small position in D.R. Horton, valued at approximately $580,500 at the end of June. In July, Berkshire also completed the $6.8 billion acquisition of homebuilder Taylor Morrison. The company also significantly increased its holdings in Delta Air Lines and Macy's, with their market values reaching approximately $5.37 billion and $173 million, respectively, as of the end of June.
At the same time, Berkshire trimmed several of its positions, including those in supermarket operator Kroger, steelmaker Nucor, and dialysis giant DaVita. The company also completely liquidated its entire stake of 632,890 shares in beverage company Constellation Brands. In the financial sector, holdings in Bank of America and Ally Financial were reduced by approximately 6% and 6.9%, respectively, while the stake in Capital One Financial was slashed by 58%. For years, many investors have closely tracked Berkshire's portfolio changes to glean insights into Buffett's investment approach. Buffett currently remains the company's chairman and largest shareholder. However, Berkshire, which owns dozens of businesses including Geico and BNSF Railway, never publicly comments on its quarterly stock trades to avoid revealing its specific buying or selling intentions.
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