Greg Abel Restarts Berkshire Buybacks With $235 Million as Cash Pile Swells Past $397 Billion
Updated
Updated · The Motley Fool · May 18
Greg Abel Restarts Berkshire Buybacks With $235 Million as Cash Pile Swells Past $397 Billion
1 articles · Updated · The Motley Fool · May 18
$235 million in Berkshire Hathaway share repurchases were authorized in the first quarter, marking Greg Abel's first buyback move since succeeding Warren Buffett at the start of 2026.
Berkshire had ample capacity to act: its buyback policy requires more than $30 billion in cash and Treasuries, and the conglomerate entered 2026 with over $360 billion before that pile rose past $397 billion in the quarter.
The move ends a pause in 2025, when Buffett authorized no buybacks after deploying $77.8 billion on Berkshire stock from 2018 through 2024.
Abel's initial buyback is small relative to Berkshire's liquidity, but it signals a willingness to return capital if the company still struggles to find acquisitions large enough to move the needle.
With a $400B cash hoard, can Abel find deals big enough to move Berkshire's needle?
Beyond Buffett's playbook, what new strategies will define Greg Abel's era at Berkshire?