Berkshire Hathaway Reveals Share Repurchase Details in Latest SEC Filing
Berkshire Hathaway has disclosed new information about its recent share buyback activities in a proxy statement submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of its upcoming annual shareholder meeting scheduled for May 2 in Omaha.
The filing reveals that the conglomerate repurchased approximately 309 Class A shares valued at roughly $226 million on March 4, marking the company’s first buyback activity since May 2024. This information was derived from the outstanding share count as of the March 4 record date for the annual meeting.
While the company had previously announced the resumption of buybacks in a March 5 SEC document citing transparency during leadership changes, specific details were not provided at that time. Current CEO Greg Abel has indicated that future buyback disclosures will only occur through regular quarterly financial statements, with no separate announcements planned.
Executive Compensation Changes
The proxy statement shows that Warren Buffett’s total compensation decreased to $389,488 in the most recent year, down from $405,111 in the previous year—a decline of nearly 4%. This reduction stems entirely from lower expenditures on personal and home security services, while his annual salary remained constant at $100,000, unchanged for decades.
CEO Greg Abel received $22 million in salary, an increase from $21 million the prior year. Abel has committed to using his entire after-tax salary to purchase Berkshire Class A shares, having acquired $15.3 million worth personally. He plans to continue this practice throughout his tenure as chief executive.
Insurance division head Ajit Jain also saw his compensation rise to $22 million from $21 million in the previous year.
Shareholder Proposals and Governance
Shareholders will vote on an advisory basis regarding executive compensation packages. The board has also requested approval for scheduling another advisory compensation vote in three years.
The board opposes a shareholder proposal from Whistle Stop Capital requesting a report on workforce and human capital management oversight across Berkshire’s subsidiaries. The proposal expresses concern that the company’s decentralized approach may lead to inconsistent human resource practices. Management argues that such matters are best handled at the subsidiary level, where decisions can be tailored to specific geographic and industry requirements.
Buffett’s Wealth Ranking
According to Forbes’ latest wealth rankings, Warren Buffett holds the ninth position globally with a net worth of $149 billion as of March 10, down from $154 billion and sixth place in the previous year’s ranking. He trails technology and business leaders including Elon Musk, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Bernard Arnault, and Jensen Huang. Bloomberg’s ranking places him at eleventh position with $146 billion.
Since 2006, Buffett has donated Berkshire shares currently valued at approximately $203 billion. Had he retained these holdings, his net worth would reach around $352 billion, potentially making him the world’s second-wealthiest individual behind Elon Musk.
Financial Metrics
Berkshire Hathaway’s current market capitalization stands at over $1.05 trillion, with cash holdings of $373.3 billion as of December 31, representing a 2.2% decrease from September 30. When excluding railroad cash and subtracting Treasury bills payable, the adjusted cash position totals $369.0 billion, showing a 4.1% increase from the previous quarter.