Berkshire Hathaway Buys Delta Air Lines and Triples Alphabet Stake Under New CEO

TLDR

• Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a new $2.65 billion stake in Delta Air Lines, its first airline holding since selling out in April 2020
• The company more than tripled its Alphabet stake to nearly 58 million shares, worth around $17 billion
• Greg Abel, who became CEO on January 1, sold positions in Visa, Mastercard, Amazon, UnitedHealth, and Domino’s Pizza
• Berkshire bought $15.94 billion in stocks and sold $24.09 billion in the first quarter of 2026
• Macy’s and New York Times were added or expanded in the portfolio reshuffle

Berkshire Hathaway has shaken up its stock portfolio in the first quarter of 2026, making a high-profile return to airline stocks and sharply increasing its bet on Alphabet, according to a regulatory filing released Friday.

The changes came under Greg Abel, who took over as CEO from Warren Buffett on January 1.

Delta Air Lines Returns to the Portfolio

Berkshire bought a 6.1% stake in Delta Air Lines, comprising 39.8 million shares worth $2.65 billion as of March 31. This marks Berkshire’s return to airline stocks after a six-year absence.

Delta Air Lines, Inc., DAL

Buffett sold Berkshire’s stakes in Delta, American Airlines, Southwest, and United Airlines in April 2020, early in the pandemic. He said at the time the world had changed for the aviation industry.

Delta’s shares rose 3.3% in after-hours trading after the disclosure.

Delta is now considered one of the best-run large U.S. airlines. It has benefited from a post-pandemic rebound in air travel, though carriers face pressure from rising fuel costs.

Alphabet Stake More Than Tripled

Berkshire also ramped up its position in Alphabet, the parent company of Google, from around 18 million shares to nearly 58 million shares. The stake is now worth approximately $17 billion, making it one of Berkshire’s largest common stock holdings.

Berkshire had not added to its Alphabet position in the fourth quarter of 2025, Buffett’s last full quarter as CEO.

Sales Under Abel

Abel sold out of several positions that were largely linked to former investment manager Todd Combs, who left Berkshire in December 2025 to join JPMorgan Chase.

Berkshire exited stakes in Visa, Mastercard, Amazon, UnitedHealth, Domino’s Pizza, Aon, Charter, Diageo, and Pool Corp.

The company also trimmed its Chevron holding by 35%, though Chevron remains Berkshire’s fifth-largest stock holding.

Smaller Additions

On the buying side, Berkshire added a 3-million-share stake in Macy’s worth $55 million. Macy’s shares jumped 6.3% after-hours.

The company also roughly tripled its New York Times stake, bringing it to around 15 million shares valued at approximately $1.3 billion.

Abel said in February that he oversaw 94% of Berkshire’s stock holdings, with investment manager Ted Weschler handling the remaining 6%.

Berkshire’s total equity portfolio stood at $288 billion as of March 31.

The post Berkshire Hathaway Buys Delta Air Lines and Triples Alphabet Stake Under New CEO appeared first on CoinCentral.