Billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire lifts Alphabet stake 83% to $38 billion

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway sharply increased its wager on Google parent Alphabet in the second quarter, adding roughly $17 billion of stock and turning the technology giant into one of its largest holdings, according to a regulatory filing.

The Omaha-based conglomerate lifted its Alphabet stake by 83% between April and June, raising the position from about 57.8 million shares at the end of March to nearly 106 million shares by June 30, filings show. The holding was valued at about $37.8 billion, split between roughly 79 million Class A shares and more than 27 million Class C shares.

Part of the buying came through a $10 billion private placement completed in June, divided evenly between Class A and Class C stock, with the balance purchased on the open market during the quarter, reports indicate. The move lifted Alphabet into the top tier of Berkshire's US-listed equity portfolio, alongside longtime anchors Apple and American Express.

The disclosure, made in a 13F filing released after the market closed on August 14, offered a rare bullish signal from an investor known for caution. Berkshire had been a net seller of stocks for several consecutive quarters and has amassed a large cash pile, leaving many investors watching for where the firm would deploy capital.

Alphabet has emerged as a central player in the race to commercialize artificial intelligence, with its Gemini models, cloud division and search advertising business drawing heavy investor attention. The stock has climbed sharply over the past year as the company showed that AI spending was translating into revenue.

Buffett, who remains Berkshire's chairman, has historically avoided large technology bets, with Apple standing as the notable exception. The scale of the Alphabet purchase suggested conviction that the company's cash generation and dominant market positions justified a substantial commitment.

Berkshire trimmed several bank holdings during the same period, continuing a retreat from financial stocks that has run for more than a year. The rotation underscored a shift toward companies with entrenched competitive advantages and steady cash flows.

The filing does not specify whether Buffett or his investment deputies directed the purchase. Berkshire rarely comments on individual positions between quarterly disclosures, and the firm did not publicly explain the reasoning behind the enlarged stake.