Berkshire Hathaway Q1 2026 Watchlist: After Verisign and Liberty Adds, What Does Buffett Do Next?
Berkshire ended Q4 2025 with a $274.16B U.S. equity portfolio, steady Apple and American Express stakes, and a fresh set of Verisign, Liberty and New York Times positions. The next filing will show whether those adds were the start of a new sleeve or just tactical cleanup.
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC enters the next 13F deadline with one of the cleanest watchlists in the market. Berkshire closed Q4 2025 with about $274.16B in disclosed U.S. equities, kept AAPL and AXP as the two defining pillars, trimmed BAC, and quietly opened new positions such as VRSN. With the next filing due on May 15, 2026, the real question is whether Buffett keeps broadening the portfolio again or goes back to pure concentration management.
TL;DR
- Scale still rules: Berkshire finished the quarter at about $274.16B.
- Nothing replaced Apple: AAPL still sat at 22.60% of the filing and remained the center of gravity.
- But there was real activity: Berkshire trimmed BAC, added to CVX, and opened VRSN alongside other fresh positions.
- Concentration is still the story: the top few holdings still dominate the filing even after the new adds.
- Q1 watch: do the new positions grow, or were they just one-quarter portfolio housekeeping?
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC Top Holdings — 2025Q4 ($M)
Why This Filing Matters
Berkshire matters because even a small move is large in dollar terms. A fresh position that would look trivial in another fund can immediately become a multi-hundred-million-dollar signal here. That is why new names such as VRSN and related Liberty positions matter more than a generic “Buffett bought tech” headline. They tell readers which parts of the portfolio might still be under construction.
Visible Signals In The Latest Filing
| Position | Value | Weight | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAPL | $61.96B | 22.60% | Apple is still the portfolio anchor, which keeps Berkshire tied to one mega-cap even after years of trimming. |
| AXP | $56.09B | 20.46% | American Express remains a second pillar and shows how much Berkshire still likes durable payment franchises. |
| BAC | $28.45B | 10.38% | The bank trim is not an exit, but it does show continued discipline around a once-larger holding. |
| CVX | $19.84B | 7.24% | The Chevron increase matters because Berkshire kept adding to a cyclical energy position rather than fading it. |
| VRSN | $2.18B | 0.80% | Verisign was one of the most notable fresh buys and immediately became meaningful enough to watch next quarter. |
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC Top 5 vs Rest Concentration — 2025Q4
What Q4 2025 Set Up
Q4 2025 did not rewrite Berkshire’s identity. It still looked like a concentrated portfolio built around AAPL, AXP, BAC, and CVX. What changed is that the edges started moving again. Berkshire opened VRSN, added media-related Liberty exposures, and still had room to keep core positions intact. That is exactly the kind of mix that can produce a more interesting Q1 filing than the usual “Apple stayed big” recap.
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC AUM History
Questions For Q1 2026
Does Berkshire keep building the new positions?
If VRSN or other fresh adds grow again, readers should treat Q4 as the opening step of a new sleeve rather than isolated portfolio maintenance.
Does bank exposure keep drifting lower?
Another meaningful cut in BAC would signal that Berkshire still wants less balance-sheet sensitivity even while keeping a large financials core elsewhere.
Can energy stay important without dominating?
The CVX increase matters because Berkshire kept leaning into energy without making it the whole story. Q1 will show whether that balance holds.
Bottom Line
Berkshire’s next filing should be read as a portfolio-shape update, not a one-name lottery ticket. If the new adds stay small and the core remains unchanged, Q4 will look like measured cleanup. If VRSN and the other fresh entries grow, Buffett’s next disclosed book may look more active than Berkshire readers have gotten used to.
Q&A
When is Berkshire Hathaway’s next 13F due?
The next Berkshire Hathaway 13F is due on May 15, 2026.
What stayed most important in Q4 2025?
Apple and American Express remained the defining positions in Berkshire’s disclosed U.S. equity portfolio.
Why did Verisign matter in this filing?
Because Berkshire is so large, even a new mid-sized stake like Verisign can signal that Buffett or his team is still adding new ideas instead of just holding the legacy core.
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