Warren Buffett’s 21-Quarter Streak: Continues to Acquire Shares in a Non-Apple Stock

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Warren Buffett’s investment track record is a key reason why 40,000 investors gather annually in Omaha, Nebraska, for Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholder meeting. Since the mid-1960s, Berkshire’s Class A shares have delivered an astounding annualized return of 19.8%, double the annualized total return of the benchmark S&P 500 over the same period. Buffett’s investment philosophy involves selecting brand-name businesses with proven success and trusted management teams.

As of November 10, tech giant Apple represents nearly 49% of Berkshire Hathaway’s invested assets, showcasing Buffett’s strategy of concentrating capital on his best ideas. During Berkshire’s annual shareholder meeting, Buffett referred to Apple as “a better business than any we own,” emphasizing its brand power, innovation, management team, and market-leading capital-return program.

Apple, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, maintains customer loyalty through a recognizable and trustworthy brand and continuous innovation. Buffett appreciates Apple CEO Tim Cook’s leadership, highlighting the introduction of new iPhone generations and the evolution into a platforms company with high-margin subscription services.

In addition to Apple, Buffett has consistently pursued share repurchases of Berkshire Hathaway’s stock. The share repurchase program, amended in 2018, allows buybacks as long as the company has sufficient cash and leadership believes the stock is undervalued. This approach carried out for 21 consecutive quarters, serves as Buffett’s way of rewarding long-term shareholders and enhancing Berkshire’s attractiveness to value-oriented investors. Steadily reducing the share count over time is expected to increase ownership stakes and potentially lift the company’s earnings per share over the long term.