Berkshire Posts Record Operating Earnings Amid Economic Turmoil

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. posted record operating earnings for the year, helped by solid performance across many of the conglomerate’s subsidiaries.

(Bloomberg) — Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. posted record operating earnings for the year, helped by solid performance across many of the conglomerate’s subsidiaries.

Key Insights

  • The Omaha, Nebraska-based firm reported $30.8 billion in operating earnings for 2022. The company’s fourth-quarter operating earnings were $6.7 billion compared with $7.3 billion the prior year
  • The company announced $2.6 billion worth of stock buybacks in the fourth quarter
  • Those figures also showed that Berkshire was a net seller of stocks in that period, which became evident after the company’s 13F filing indicated it had abruptly slashed a position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. disclosed in the prior filing
  • The company had $128.6 billion of cash on hand at the end of last year

Market Reaction

  • The company’s Class A stock gained 15% in the fourth quarter after remaining mostly static in the prior period. The stock gained roughly 4.3% last year, compared to a 19% drop reported by the S&P 500 Index in the same period.

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