New York — Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway said on Saturday it took a $3.76bn writedown on its stake in Kraft Heinz in the second quarter, an acknowledgment the decade-old investment hasn’t worked out.
Berkshire also reported a 4% decline in quarterly operating profit as insurance underwriting premiums fell. The writedown and lower gains from common stocks caused a 59% drop in overall net income.
Buffett’s conglomerate signalled it remains cautious about market valuations, amid uncertainty about tariffs and growth in the broader economy.
It reported a near-record $344.1bn cash stake, and sold more stocks than it bought for an 11th consecutive quarter. By mid-July, Berkshire hadn’t repurchased any of its own stock since May 2024.
Buffett, 94, has led Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire since 1965, though he plans to step down at year-end.
“Investors are getting antsy and want to seek activity, and nothing is happening,” said Kyle Sanders, an analyst at Edward Jones. “Buffett definitely views the market as overvalued, and will sit back and wait for something to come to him.”
Uncertainty about trade policies, including tariffs, has become a headwind as delayed orders and shipments led to declining revenue at most of Berkshire’s consumer businesses.
Jazwares, which makes the popular Squishmallows plush toys, saw revenue fall 38.5% in the year’s first half.
Analysts viewed overall results as lacklustre.
“Berkshire and the economy are at an inflection point,” said Cathy Seifert, a CFRA Research analyst. “I don’t think the market will embrace the combination of mediocre results, a lack of stock buybacks, and Berkshire’s recent share underperformance amid a management transition.”
Seifert and Sanders rate Berkshire “hold”.
Income fell
Second-quarter operating income fell to $11.16bn, or about $7,760 per class A share, from $11.6bn a year earlier. Results included $877m of currency losses as the US dollar weakened.
Net income, including gains and losses on stocks such as Apple and American Express, fell to $12.37bn from $30.35bn. Revenue fell 1% to $92.52bn.
Buffett views unrealised investment gains and losses, including on stocks Berkshire has no plans to sell, as often meaningless to understanding his company.
The $3.76bn after-tax writedown for Berkshire’s 27.4% Kraft Heinz stake, equal to $5bn before taxes, followed the struggling food company’s announcement it would consider strategic alternatives, which could include a break-up.
Berkshire had carried Kraft Heinz on its books at above-market value but said economic and other uncertainties, and its longer-term plans to remain an investor, made the gap “other-than-temporary”.
The writedown is Berkshire’s second for Kraft Heinz, after a $3bn writedown in 2019.
Buffett acknowledged at the time that Berkshire overpaid in the 2015 merger of Kraft Foods and HJ Heinz, one of his biggest investment missteps.
Kraft Heinz has suffered as more shoppers favour healthier and private-label alternatives. Its about 200 brands include Oscar Mayer, Kool-Aid, Velveeta and Jell-O.
Berkshire also carries another big investment, its 28.1% stake in Occidental Petroleum at $5.3bn above fair value, but reported no need for a writedown.
Remain chair
Shares of Berkshire have fallen more than 12%, and lagged the Standard & Poor’s 500 by about 22 percentage points, since Buffett announced on May 3 he would step down as CEO at year-end.
Vice-chair Greg Abel, 63, will succeed him, though Buffett will remain chair.
Analysts said the premium embedded in Berkshire’s stock price because of the presence of Buffett, arguably the world’s most well-known investor, has eroded, while growth may slow in the insurance sector, a major Berkshire profit centre.
The lack of new investments has also been a drag. Analysts believe Berkshire’s BNSF unit could buy CSX to create another transcontinental railroad, after Union Pacific agreed on July 29 to buy Norfolk Southern.
Buffett transformed Berkshire over six decades from a troubled and since-closed textile company into a $1.02-trillion conglomerate.
Berkshire owns several insurers and reinsurers, electric utility and renewable energy businesses, several chemical and industrial companies, and familiar consumer brands such as Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom and See’s Candies.
Geico rise
Berkshire said the 12% quarterly decline in insurance underwriting profit stemmed primarily from reinsurance businesses and some smaller insurance businesses.
Geico, its best-known insurance business, saw pretax underwriting profit rise 2%, as a 5% increase in premiums offset a smaller rise in accident losses.
The car insurer has been ceding market share to State Farm and Progressive, while focusing on improving underwriting quality and technology and cutting jobs.
Analysts said higher tariffs could be a headwind for Geico if the cost of car parts rose, potentially increasing losses from accident claims.
BNSF is also cutting expenses. Lower fuel costs helped boost quarterly profit 19% gain, though revenue and cargo volumes barely changed.
The energy business, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, posted a 7% profit increase.
Berkshire said it was evaluating the impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed last month by US President Donald Trump, on the “economics and viability” of its renewable energy, storage and technology-neutral projects.
Reuters
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