Berkshire investment manager Ted Weschler appears to be having a strong 2026 after some tougher years because of big gains in two stocks -- DaVita and Sirius XM Holdings.
Weschler is responsible for running about 6% of Berkshire's equity portfolio of more than $300 billion under the oversight of CEO Greg Abel, who oversees the rest.
Berkshire doesn't disclose the Weschler investments, but the company's filings show that he personally owns both DaVita and Sirius XM -- a strong indication that the Berkshire investments in those companies are directed by him.
Berkshire also doesn't reveal Weschler's investment performance, or the performance of the entire portfolio.
Shares of kidney dialysis provider DaVita are up over 90% this year to $222, while the stock of satellite radio operator Sirius XM have risen almost 50% to $29. That followed a rough five-year period when DaVita was about flat while Sirius XM declined 65%.
Berkshire has large stakes in both companies. It owns about 29 million shares of DaVita worth more than $6 billion, a 45% stake. It also owns roughly 125 million shares of Sirius XM, a 37% interest, now valued at around $3.6 billion. These holdings are as of March 31.
The DaVita holding is likely Weschler's largest Berkshire investment and Sirius XM is probably among his top five investments.
Weschler, who is about 65 years old, is believed to have been close to former Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei. Berkshire's large Sirius XM holding came about partly due to a combination of a Liberty-controlled company that held Sirius XM stock with Sirius XM in 2024. Berkshire had held a sizable stake in the Liberty entity.
Weschler, who joined Berkshire in 2012, has been associated with DaVita for more than a decade and he personally owns 2.2 million shares. He also holds almos t 790,000 shares of Sirius XM. These investments are as of late 2024, the most recent filing date that Barron's is aware of.
Until the end of 2025, Weschler ran about 5% of the Berkshire equity portfolio, and investment manager Todd Combs also ran 5% with chairman Warren Buffett handling the rest. Weschler got additional authority -- going to 6% from 5% -- around year-end, according to Abel's shareholder letter .
Combs left Berkshire for an investment position at JPMorgan Chase in December 2025 and Berkshire appeared to have sold most of the Combs holdings in late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. Buffett stepped aside as CEO at year-end and was succeeded by Abel.
With the Combs stocks largely sold, it's easier to identify the Weschler investments at Berkshire since they likely are some of the smaller equity holdings now at the company. The large holdings like Apple, Coca-Cola and American Express were accumulated by Buffett.
Probable Weschler investments also include a nearly $3 billion holding in Kroger and a $3.5 billion stake in Delta Air Lines. Berkshire accumulated the Delta stake in the first quarter and the stock is up about 50% since then, making it a quick winner.
With likely holdings in DaVita, Sirius XM and Delta, Weschler appears to be having an excellent first half of 2026.
Write to Andrew Bary at andrew.bary@barrons.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 30, 2026 16:44 ET (20:44 GMT)
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