Berkshire Shares Rose as U.S. Stocks Fell, Nearing 2025 Record Closes

Berkshire Hathaway shares climbed Friday as major U.S. stock indexes fell, leaving both share classes about 1.4% below their May 2025 record closes after gains in the session.

Class B ended at $532.02, up $6.34, or 1.21%. Class A closed at $798,000, gaining $8,514, or 1.08%. The prices were recorded at the 4 p.m. ET (20:00 UTC) close on Oct. 16.

The S&P 500 declined 1.1% to 7,659.44, the Nasdaq Composite lost 2.1% to 26,140.03 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3% to 52,002.41. All three major indexes finished lower.

Berkshire’s record closes came on May 2, 2025, the trading day before Berkshire chairman emeritus Warren E. Buffett announced he planned to step down as CEO. Class B’s record close was $539.80, while Class A’s was $809,350.

At Berkshire’s annual-meeting question-and-answer session on May 3, 2025, Buffett said he would recommend Greg Abel as CEO. The board approved Abel’s appointment the next day, with the role taking effect Jan. 1, 2026. Buffett became chairman emeritus in September 2026, when the board elected Howard G. Buffett chairman.

“Greg runs the company; Howard will guard its culture and values – both worth more than anything on our balance sheet,” Buffett wrote to shareholders in September.

Berkshire repurchased $4.527 billion of its shares in the second quarter of 2026. At June 30, Berkshire reported cash and equivalents of $35.096 billion in Insurance and Other, plus $5.513 billion in Railroad, Utilities and Energy; short-term Treasury bills in the former category added $324.905 billion, putting the three figures at $365.514 billion.

The balance-sheet figures cover the quarter ended June 30, more than three months before Friday’s trading session. Berkshire’s businesses include insurance and reinsurance, utilities and energy, freight rail, manufacturing, services and retailing.