Berkshire annual meeting live: Earnings jump, cash hoard grows to record in Greg Abel's first quarterly report

Berkshire said its investment portfolio remained concentrated in a small number of well-known stocks in the first quarter.

Here’s the conglomerate’s top five investments by size, as of the end of March:

Berkshire said these five holdings accounted for 61% of its equity security portfolio’s aggregate fair value at the end of March.

— Alex Harring

Berkshire Hathaway posted a solid jump in first-quarter operating earnings, driven largely by a rebound in its insurance business, while amassing a record amount of cash for new CEO Greg Abel’s coffers.

Operating profit from its wholly owned units — including insurance and railroads — rose 18% from a year earlier, according to the company’s first earnings report since Abel succeeded Warren Buffett as CEO at the start of 2026. Insurance underwriting led the gains, climbing 28.5% to about $1.7 billion.

Berkshire’s cash pile swelled to a record $397.4 billion, topping its prior high of $381.6 billion set in the third quarter of last year. That buildup came as the conglomerate was a seller of stocks, with roughly $24.1 billion in equity sales during the quarter. It purchased about $16 billion.

Shares of Berkshire have fallen about 6% year to date, lagging the S&P 500′s 5.6% gain. Berkshire has trailed the index by more than 30 percentage points since Buffett signaled plans to step down last May.

The underperformance came even after Berkshire resumed buybacks in March for the first time since 2024. Berkshire repurchased $235 million of stock in the first quarter, according to the earnings report. The company had already disclosed that it purchased $226 million in stock on March 4, so this means it only did a slight amount more of buying as the quarter came to a close.

Some of the stock-selling activity may reflect a broader reshuffling of the portfolio following the departure of longtime investment manager Todd Combs, who left for JPMorgan Chase at the end of 2025, though the company hasn’t disclosed exactly which positions were affected.

At the end of March, Berkshire’s top five holdings were American Express, Apple, Bank of America , The Coca-Cola Company and Chevron.

Abel revealed he used his entire after-tax salary of $15 million to personally buy Berkshire shares, and plans to keep doing so every year for as long as he’s CEO.

— Yun Li

Ahead of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting Saturday, the mood in the air was cautiously optimistic as new and returning investors weighed the company’s direction under a new chief executive.

“I spent a lot of time studying Greg,” said Robert Hagstrom, chief investment officer at EquityCompass Investment Management. “I think he’s not only the right guy — and he’s been vetted for so many years by so many people — but he’s the right guy at the right time.”

— Sarah Min, Yun Li

There’s noticeably smaller lines forming outside CHI Health Center Saturday morning than in prior years. That could signal less interest for in-person attendance among shareholders with Warren Buffett no longer leading the meeting.

Similarly, there were smaller crowds and shorter lines at the annual “Berkshire Bazaar of Bargains,” the shopping event connected to the gathering.

— Alex Harring, Yun Li

Berkshire Hathaway investors are heading into this year’s annual meeting with less-than-stellar returns.

Shares of Berkshire’s class A stock have dropped nearly 6% in 2026, putting the conglomerate on pace to notch its first losing year since 2015. By comparison, the S&P 500 has climbed more than 5% year to date.

What’s more, Berkshire shares have tumbled more than 10% over the last 12 months. The S&P 500 has surged more than 28% in the same period.

Inside the sprawling exhibit hall at CHI Health Center Omaha, the annual “Berkshire Bazaar of Bargains” on Friday remained packed with its usual crowd-pleasing deals — just with a little more elbow room this year.

The roughly 20,000-square-foot shopping showcase featured familiar staples, including Buffett-themed merchandise from Brooks Sports and chocolate coins from See’s Candies, alongside products from dozens of subsidiaries. Still, compared with prior years, lines moved faster and the crowds were visibly lighter.

Abel made the rounds across the floor, stopping at each booth to greet employees and shake hands with shareholders.

CNBC will be livestreaming Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting on Saturday, beginning at 9:15 a.m. ET. It’s a new era for the company as Greg Abel takes center stage for the first time as CEO.

Although Abel will be driving the meeting, Berkshire shareholders are likely to still poise a wide variety of questions to the company’s leadership.

Here is a rundown of the day’s events:

9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.: Pre-show anchored by Becky Quick and Mike Santoli

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: Berkshire Hathaway business update

10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m.: Morning question and answer session

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. – Halftime show anchored by Becky Quick and Mike Santoli

12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Afternoon Q&A session

2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: Post-show anchored by Becky Quick and Mike Santoli

Note: Schedule reflects Eastern Time

—Christina Cheddar Berk