Berkshire's operating profit fell in the quarter, and there is one stock it hasn't stopped buying

Berkshire Hathaway reported a 6% decline in operating profit for the third quarter to $12.71 billion, and a 28% plunge in net profit. Despite this, the company accelerated its share buybacks to $9.6 billion, more than double the previous quarter. The cash pile shrank to about $357 billion.

Berkshire Hathaway released its results for the third quarter of 2026, showing a 6% decline in operating profit to $12.71 billion and a 28% plunge in net profit to $22.11 billion, mainly due to weakness in its insurance business. Despite the drop in earnings, the company accelerated its share repurchases to $9.6 billion in the quarter, more than double the previous quarter, and in the first four weeks of October it bought back an additional $2 billion in shares. The company's cash pile shrank to about $357 billion. The results come amid market turmoil and under the management of Greg Abel, who replaced Warren Buffett at the start of the year. Berkshire's Class B shares surged about 16% in five weeks to a record of around $579.