Berkshire also boosted its Alphabet and Delta Air Lines stakes
Greg Abel became Berkshire Hathaway's CEO in January.
Berkshire Hathaway has upped its bet on the U.S. housing market.
The conglomerate $(BRK.B)$ $(BRK.A)$ - fresh from closing its $6.8 billion deal for home builder Taylor Morrison - bought a new, albeit small, stake in top U.S. home builder D.R. Horton $(DHI)$, according to regulatory filings. It also boosted its position in home builder Lennar $(LEN)$ by nearly 30%.
The moves come as Americans are beset by concerns about the housing market, including rising mortgage rates and a lack of affordability.
Berkshire had a stake in D.R. Horton last year, but unwound that not long after. It bought 3,564 shares of the builder in the most recent reporting period.
D. R. Horton last month said that "affordability constraints and cautious consumer sentiment" continue to impact demand for new homes. The company, the No. 1 U.S. home builder both by revenue and market capitalization, cut its revenue 2026 guidance to between $32.5 billion to $33 billion, from a previous outlook of between $33.5 billion to $34.5 billion.
Berkshire disclosed its April-through-June stockholdings in a regulatory filing late Friday. It was CEO Greg Abel's second quarter at the top of the conglomerate. In a letter to shareholders in February, Abel said that Berkshire would continue its "concentrated approach" to stock investing.
Abel became CEO in January following Warren Buffett's retirement after 60 years leading the company. Buffett remains Berkshire's chairman.
Securities regulators require all institutional investment managers holding more than $100 million in certain securities to disclose their positions in filings called 13Fs. The disclosures offer a window into a firm's stock and ETF holdings at the end of a quarter, and into some of its possible strategies.
Berkshire reported second-quarter earnings on Aug. 8, showing profit that more than doubled in the period. The company also got started spending its cash pile, bringing its cash holdings down by $31.9 billion to $365.5 billion. The Taylor Morrison acquisition was part of that spree.
Housing was not the only sector where Berkshire added to existing holdings.
The company also increased its stake in Delta Air Lines $(DAL)$ (DAL) by about 44%, and grew its position in Alphabet $(GOOGL)$ $(GOOG)$ by more than 600%. Berkshire held about $38 million worth of the Google parent's shares at the end of June.
Loading up on Alphabet shares was one of Warren Buffett's last moves as Berkshire CEO late last year.
The investment in Delta, which came to light in May, represents a return to the airline sector for Berkshire. The company also more than doubled its position in Macy's (M), which also had been a new investment avenue back in May.
Berkshire sold off its investment in Constellation Brands $(STZ)$ in the latest quarter. The beer and wine maker, best known for selling Corona and Modelo beers in the U.S., pulled its guidance earlier this year as consumers sought cheaper options.
-Claudia Assis
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