December 12, 2023 –
In a recent development within the investment world, Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate led by renowned investor Warren Buffett, has significantly reduced its stake in technology giant HP Inc. The move, highlighted in a regulatory filing on Monday evening, marks a strategic shift in Berkshire’s investment portfolio.
Over the past two months, Berkshire Hathaway has cut its HP shares by a notable 47%, bringing its ownership down to approximately 5.2%. This reduction is a part of a series of sales initiated between mid-September and early October, where the company sold HP stocks for nine consecutive days, reducing its stake to around 10%.
Despite this reduction, Berkshire Hathaway remains a substantial shareholder in HP, holding around 51.5 million shares. With HP’s closing stock price on Monday at $30.37, Berkshire’s holdings are valued at roughly $1.6 billion, equivalent to about 114.88 billion yuan. According to data from FactSet, Berkshire Hathaway still ranks as the third-largest institutional shareholder in HP, trailing only behind investment giants BlackRock and Vanguard Group.
Berkshire Hathaway’s initial investment in HP dates back to April 2022. However, the stock’s current performance remains below the level at which Berkshire initially purchased it, indicating that the conglomerate has yet to realize a profit from this investment. HP’s stock has seen a 13% increase this year, a growth that falls short compared to the broader market, as represented by the NASDAQ Composite Index, which has risen nearly 38%. This disparity in performance might be a contributing factor to Berkshire’s decision to decrease its stake in the technology firm.
