Warren Buffett grows Berkshire Hathaway AAPL stake to 133 million shares worth $17 billion...

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in AAPL Investors
Chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett proclaims in an interview that his firm purchased around 120 million AAPL shares just in 2017, with a total value of more than $17 billion.




Buffett CNBC on Monday morning that Apple has a "sticky product" when he trumpeted the deal, saying that it was a good hedge against a stock market that could "go down 20 percent tomorrow." He cited Apple CEO Tim Cook's "terrific job" at the main driver behind his confidence in the company.

The firm's holdings now exceed 133 million shares. The new AAPL purchases are part of a $20 billion stock buy the titan has made since just before the November election.

Buffett has historically shied away from tech sector stocks. In May 2016, Berkshire purchased its first shares of Apple with a 9.81 million share buy which at the time was worth more than $1 billion. The fund increased holdings to the aforementioned 15.2 million AAPL shares in the September quarter

Berkshire made a series of big Apple buys in the tail end of 2016 with the firm ending 2016 with a significant increase in holdings in the stock since originally getting on board.

Apple's stock is opening Monday morning at $135.91 -- close to a record high. The company's market capitalization exceeds $717.6 billion.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 52
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Just a quick warning for the inexperienced traders round here. 

    Buffet invests for the long game. You won't catch him whining like a baby, demanding Cook's head on a platter, or suggesting that Apple buys a crystal meth distribution chain to shore up the stock when the price is down tomorrow. 

    If you can't stand the heat then show some common sense and take your face off the hot plate. 

    edited February 2017 hammerd2ChuckNormtmaybrucemcai46slprescottanantksundaramYvLy
  • Reply 2 of 52
    carnegiecarnegie Posts: 1,078member
    ...

    Apple's stock is opening Monday morning at $135.91 -- close to a record high. The company's market capitalization exceeds $717.6 billion.
    In light of this news, I suspect AAPL will open above $135.91 today. :smile: 
  • Reply 3 of 52
    leavingthebiggleavingthebigg Posts: 1,291member
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    calibrucemcwatto_cobraanantksundaram
  • Reply 4 of 52
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,384member
    Rayz2016 said:
    Just a quick warning for the inexperienced traders round here. 

    Buffet invests for the long game. You won't catch him whining like a baby, demanding Cook's head on a platter, or suggesting that Apple buys a crystal meth distribution chain to shore up the stock when the price is down tomorrow. 

    If you can't stand the heat then show some common sense and take your face off the hot plate. 

    Paging sog35, paging sog35. Wait, pretending he would even understand your post gives him way too much credit.
  • Reply 5 of 52
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,384member
    sog35 said:
    leavingthebigg said:
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    Never believe what those tools write.

    Do you own research and due diligence. 

    Apple will be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. This stock will reach $150 this year and $200 in a couple of years. 
    Coming from the guy who has been shitting on Cook and Apple for a year, and demanding Cook be replaced. Is this when you were doing your "research" and "Due diligence". Is that when you "never believed the tools" that shrieked that Cook needs to go in order for the stock to recover? Isn't that what you were shrieking an preaching, day in and day out? And now you're too much of a coward to admit and acknowledge that, pretending like it never happened? What a joke you are. Your lack of self-awareness is stunning.
    StrangeDaysRayz2016radarthekatcharlesgresanantksundaram
  • Reply 6 of 52
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,276member
    I'm not sure how Apple is a hedge against the rest of the market. Apple is probably more vulnerable than the average company to upheaval in the international order. If the US decides to attack one of the artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, it will be very bad for everyone, but even worse for Apple. China is a lynchpin in the Apple supply chain. Apple's revenues could collapse if there were shots fired between the US and China. 
  • Reply 7 of 52
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,871member
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    Just to toot my own horn -- I always get a kick out of seeing MW mentioned, I was one of the lead developers that built that site during the dot com bubble, and implemented some DHTML magic on the home page and charts when that was new & exciting. Long gone now but still have some friends there.
    edited February 2017 cali
  • Reply 8 of 52
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    sog35 said:
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    Never believe what those tools write.

    Do you own research and due diligence. 

    Apple will be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. This stock will reach $150 this year and $200 in a couple of years. 
    Yet you allegedly sold off most of your AAPL holdings because you claim your portfolio was too heavy with their stock...  :|
    edited February 2017 anantksundaram
  • Reply 9 of 52
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    blastdoor said:
    I'm not sure how Apple is a hedge against the rest of the market. Apple is probably more vulnerable than the average company to upheaval in the international order. If the US decides to attack one of the artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, it will be very bad for everyone, but even worse for Apple. China is a lynchpin in the Apple supply chain. Apple's revenues could collapse if there were shots fired between the US and China. 
    Oh, come on. That's not going to happen. More likely that Apple will be materially harmed by the implementation of new trade barriers with China than any kind of military flare up.
  • Reply 10 of 52
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    sog35 said:
    sog35 said:
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    Never believe what those tools write.

    Do you own research and due diligence. 

    Apple will be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. This stock will reach $150 this year and $200 in a couple of years. 
    Yet you allegedly sold off most of your AAPL holdings because you claim your portfolio was too heavy with their stock...  :|
    I sold because I had a crazy/stupid ass/risky position in Apple.  I bought shares on margin and Apple was over 50% of my portfolio.

    Sorry but that is too dangerous of position to hold for very long.

    Apple is still by FAR my biggest position. Apple is 300% bigger than any other position I hold in my portfolio. Its my #1 pick
    AAPL is my biggest holding (by far) simply because it has and continues to gain more than any other stock in my portfolio. I don't do rebalancing and stock swings that used to give me a heart attack no longer bother me. Long is the only way to hold, IMO.
    edited February 2017 radarthekat
  • Reply 11 of 52
    RonnnieORonnnieO Posts: 39member
    SpamSandwich said:
    sog35 said:
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    Never believe what those tools write.

    Do you own research and due diligence. 

    Apple will be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. This stock will reach $150 this year and $200 in a couple of years. 
    Yet you allegedly sold off most of your AAPL holdings because you claim your portfolio was too heavy with their stock...  :|
    And now he's jumping back onto the bandwagon. Hopefully with the next buybacks Tim will get his 10 shares and he'll go away.
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 12 of 52
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    Closely following a company like Apple provides ample evidence of how analysts and the media more often than not get it wrong, which implies they get it wrong on everything else too. It's as though they are either blind, stupid, or deliberately spreading misinformation. The result is a widening of the gap between perception and reality, which increases volatility in the market. And that might actually be the job of these folks, to create volatility, which creates opportunity.
  • Reply 13 of 52
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,089member
    SpamSandwich said:
    blastdoor said:
    I'm not sure how Apple is a hedge against the rest of the market. Apple is probably more vulnerable than the average company to upheaval in the international order. If the US decides to attack one of the artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, it will be very bad for everyone, but even worse for Apple. China is a lynchpin in the Apple supply chain. Apple's revenues could collapse if there were shots fired between the US and China. 
    Oh, come on. That's not going to happen. More likely that Apple will be materially harmed by the implementation of new trade barriers with China than any kind of military flare up.

    Exactly.  If there's a shooting war with China, the value of my AAPL shares would be the least of my worries.
  • Reply 14 of 52
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    sog35 said:
    sog35 said:
    sog35 said:
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    Never believe what those tools write.

    Do you own research and due diligence. 

    Apple will be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. This stock will reach $150 this year and $200 in a couple of years. 
    Yet you allegedly sold off most of your AAPL holdings because you claim your portfolio was too heavy with their stock...  :|
    I sold because I had a crazy/stupid ass/risky position in Apple.  I bought shares on margin and Apple was over 50% of my portfolio.

    Sorry but that is too dangerous of position to hold for very long.

    Apple is still by FAR my biggest position. Apple is 300% bigger than any other position I hold in my portfolio. Its my #1 pick
    AAPL is my biggest holding (by far) simply because it has and continues to gain more than any other stock in my portfolio. I don't do rebalancing and stock swings that used to give me a heart attack no longer bother me. Long is the only way to hold, IMO.
    congrats. And i mean it sincerely. 

    Unfortunately I only was in the position to buy Apple about 4 years ago. If I bought Apple at $1 a share, I'd probably hold it forever also.

    But twice in the last 4 years I've been UNDERWATER 30-40% on my Apple investment. That meant my overall portfolio was down 20-25% just from Apple alone!  I no longer want that kind of exposure.

    I mean just look at Buffett. Apple is less than 15% of his overall holdings. 


    What's the difference if you're investing for the long haul? If wild swings endanger your lifestyle, you clearly shouldn't even be putting money into stocks. I always invest under the rule, "never bet more than you can afford to lose" and sometimes I have lost 100% of my investments when factors like global market meltdowns came into play, but I still kept it all in the market. It's a long game.
    edited February 2017
  • Reply 15 of 52
    rotateleftbyterotateleftbyte Posts: 1,630member
    radarthekat said:
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    Closely following a company like Apple provides ample evidence of how analysts and the media more often than not get it wrong, which implies they get it wrong on everything else too. It's as though they are either blind, stupid, or deliberately spreading misinformation. The result is a widening of the gap between perception and reality, which increases volatility in the market. And that might actually be the job of these folks, to create volatility, which creates opportunity.
    The power that those who speak out of their 'anal' region hold over us mere mortals is that to gain Kudos in their circles all they need to do it up their forcast for a company on a given quarter. That allows their short selling friends to make a killing because the company does not make what the 'anal' people told the world that they would.
    History has many examples of groups of people talking up a stock only for it to crash and burn.
  • Reply 16 of 52
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,276member
    blastdoor said:
    I'm not sure how Apple is a hedge against the rest of the market. Apple is probably more vulnerable than the average company to upheaval in the international order. If the US decides to attack one of the artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, it will be very bad for everyone, but even worse for Apple. China is a lynchpin in the Apple supply chain. Apple's revenues could collapse if there were shots fired between the US and China. 
    Oh, come on. That's not going to happen. More likely that Apple will be materially harmed by the implementation of new trade barriers with China than any kind of military flare up.
    I hope you're right, however this member of the US National Security Council says otherwise: 
     
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/02/steve-bannon-donald-trump-war-south-china-sea-no-doubt


  • Reply 17 of 52
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,842moderator
    sog35 said:
    slurpy said:
    sog35 said:
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    Never believe what those tools write.

    Do you own research and due diligence. 

    Apple will be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. This stock will reach $150 this year and $200 in a couple of years. 
    Coming from the guy who has been shitting on Cook and Apple for a year, and demanding Cook be replaced. Is this when you were doing your "research" and "Due diligence". Is that when you "never believed the tools" that shrieked that Cook needs to go in order for the stock to recover? Isn't that what you were shrieking an preaching, day in and day out? And now you're too much of a coward to admit and acknowledge that, pretending like it never happened? What a joke you are. Your lack of self-awareness is stunning.
    Apple is still BY FAR my biggest holding. Obviously I believe in the company.

    Its true I criticized Tim Cook last year. But it was with good reason. He clearly stated that China sales would continue to grow in 2016. It did not. That rocked the market. My opinion changed on Cook when:

    1. He put huge emphasis on services. And finally giving shareholders a long-term target for growth = services will DOUBLE in 4 years
    2. Airpods. Proof that Apple is still the BOSS in innovation
    3. Closing deals in India
    4. Leaks of a revolutionary iPhone 8 with smaller bezel and OLED

    Those 4 points only happened in the last 3 months. 

    My opinion on Cook changed because he EXECUTED and made wonderful strategic moves.  If you look at my post history you will see I praised Cook in 2014-2015. 

    My opinion on Cook as a CEO will change in the future based on what he does. But I guess you are such a fanboy that you will always support him 100% no matter what?

    Trouble is, Apple didn't conceive of, design, engineer and produce the airpods in the last three months.  Those were in the works during the time you were excoriating Cook, and yet you now feel you can pick and choose which data points have meaning.  What about all the times Cook said the company's best days are ahead, that there's plenty of innovation in the pipeline.  He said those things AFTER the iPhone 6 was out, after Apple Music and the Beats acquisition, etc.  So he'd already proven, in his era at the helm, himself worthy of guiding the company forward, and warranted our confidence in him.  To call for his head AFTER all that he did to prove himself, and while the company was in the process of implementing according to his words, is a bit of a mistake.  I think most here, except you, see that pretty clearly.
    edited February 2017 SpamSandwichtmayStrangeDays
  • Reply 18 of 52
    RonnnieORonnnieO Posts: 39member
    radarthekat said:
    sog35 said:
    slurpy said:
    sog35 said:
    On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, a financial analyst writing for MarketWatch designed to pen an article explaining why Warren Buffet should drop Apple for Qualcomm. I decided the analyst had nothing better to do than trash Apple while promoting Qualcomm. Two days later it was announced Buffet's investment had increased in value by $1.6 billion! Now the above is being announced. I am glad I was and am able to see that the analyst was way off base!!
    Never believe what those tools write.

    Do you own research and due diligence. 

    Apple will be a powerhouse for the foreseeable future. This stock will reach $150 this year and $200 in a couple of years. 
    Coming from the guy who has been shitting on Cook and Apple for a year, and demanding Cook be replaced. Is this when you were doing your "research" and "Due diligence". Is that when you "never believed the tools" that shrieked that Cook needs to go in order for the stock to recover? Isn't that what you were shrieking an preaching, day in and day out? And now you're too much of a coward to admit and acknowledge that, pretending like it never happened? What a joke you are. Your lack of self-awareness is stunning.
    Apple is still BY FAR my biggest holding. Obviously I believe in the company.

    Its true I criticized Tim Cook last year. But it was with good reason. He clearly stated that China sales would continue to grow in 2016. It did not. That rocked the market. My opinion changed on Cook when:

    1. He put huge emphasis on services. And finally giving shareholders a long-term target for growth = services will DOUBLE in 4 years
    2. Airpods. Proof that Apple is still the BOSS in innovation
    3. Closing deals in India
    4. Leaks of a revolutionary iPhone 8 with smaller bezel and OLED

    Those 4 points only happened in the last 3 months. 

    My opinion on Cook changed because he EXECUTED and made wonderful strategic moves.  If you look at my post history you will see I praised Cook in 2014-2015. 

    My opinion on Cook as a CEO will change in the future based on what he does. But I guess you are such a fanboy that you will always support him 100% no matter what?

    Trouble is, Apple didn't conceive of, design, engineer and produce the airpods in the last three months.  Those were in the works during the time you were excoriating Cook, and yet you now feel you can pick and choose which data points have meaning.  What about all the times Cook said the company's best days are ahead, that there's plenty of innovation in the pipeline.  He said those things AFTER the iPhone 6 was out, after Apple Music and the Beats acquisition, etc.  So he'd already proven, in his era at the helm, himself worthy of guiding the company forward, and warranted our confidence in him.  To call for his head AFTER all that he did to prove himself, and while the company was in the process of implementing according to his words, is a bit of a mistake.  I think most here, except you, see that pretty clearly.
    Touche
    SpamSandwichStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 52
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    blastdoor said:
    blastdoor said:
    I'm not sure how Apple is a hedge against the rest of the market. Apple is probably more vulnerable than the average company to upheaval in the international order. If the US decides to attack one of the artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, it will be very bad for everyone, but even worse for Apple. China is a lynchpin in the Apple supply chain. Apple's revenues could collapse if there were shots fired between the US and China. 
    Oh, come on. That's not going to happen. More likely that Apple will be materially harmed by the implementation of new trade barriers with China than any kind of military flare up.
    I hope you're right, however this member of the US National Security Council says otherwise: 
     
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/02/steve-bannon-donald-trump-war-south-china-sea-no-doubt


    LOL. He said in 5 to 10 years. If Trump serves one term, the next president starts the war. If he serves two terms, again the next president starts the war. I think he was slyly jabbing at the Democrats.
  • Reply 20 of 52
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,040member
    For me, I no longer want to have any single company's stock be more than 6-7% of my portfolio. I sold a bunch of AAPL two years ago, one of the smartest things I've done. 

    More than anything else, Buffett's substantial acquisition of AAPL is a clear indicator that Apple's days as a growth stock are over. It's a value stock in 2017.
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