Berkshire Hathaway invests in The New York Times and reduces holdings in Amazon and Apple

As Warren Buffett concluded his 60-year tenure as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway last year, the conglomerate made a surprising move by venturing into an industry it had avoided for six years. Berkshire Hathaway’s latest 13F filing, released on Tuesday, revealed that in the fourth quarter of 2025, the company acquired 5.1 million shares of The New York Times. This investment amounts to $351.7 million, marking Berkshire’s first foray into the news media since 2020, when it divested its newspaper assets, including the Omaha World-Herald, Buffett’s local daily publication.

Although Berkshire’s purchase of The New York Times indicates a return to the news media sector, the newspaper’s presence in the company’s overall public portfolio is minimal, constituting just 0.12%. This figure is negligible in the context of Berkshire’s vast scale, representing a mere 0.03% of its total market capitalization. Despite its limited impact on Berkshire’s investment portfolio, The New York Times has garnered praise for successfully adapting to the digital era, evolving into a multifaceted platform combining news, cooking content, and interactive games. Currently boasting nearly 13 million subscribers, The New York Times has solidified its position as a prominent player in the media landscape.

In a strategic shift, Berkshire Hathaway appears to be recalibrating its investment focus by reducing its exposure to the technology sector. The company significantly decreased its stake in Amazon by 77% while trimming its holding in Apple by approximately 4%. Despite these reductions, Apple remains Berkshire’s largest investment holding. Concurrently, Berkshire has augmented its presence in the energy and insurance sectors, with stakes in Chevron and Chubb expanding by 6.5% and 8.7%, respectively.

Following the disclosure of Berkshire’s latest investments and divestments, shares of The New York Times experienced a 4% surge in early trading on Wednesday, reaching a new 52-week high. However, the stock price later retraced some of these gains. As Berkshire Hathaway continues to fine-tune its investment strategy, market observers will monitor the conglomerate’s shifting portfolio dynamics, particularly its renewed interest in the news media space and parallel reallocation within traditional industries such as energy and insurance.