Warren Buffett, chairman of the board at Berkshire Hathaway (Berkshire), said he regretted selling Apple shares held by Berkshire too early. He hinted at the possibility of making large additional purchases of Apple shares in the future.
In an interview with U.S. broadcaster CNBC on the 31st (local time), Buffett said of Berkshire Hathaway's Apple investment, "We sold too early. But the timing of our buying did come earlier than that."
Buffett had been cautious about investing in tech stocks under the banner of "value investing," but he made massive investments in Apple starting in 2016. Berkshire has sold a large amount of Apple equity since 2024, bringing it below half. Still, Apple remains the largest holding among all listed stocks Berkshire owns.
Regarding Apple, Buffett said, "I'm very pleased that this stock has become the largest weight in our portfolio," but added, "I don't like it when it becomes as large as all the other holdings combined."
He also said, "It isn't impossible for Apple to reach a price at which we can buy in size," while emphasizing, "But not in this market right now."
Buffett said that even after stepping down as Berkshire CEO last year, he is still directly involved in investing.
Asked by the host whether he had been involved in new investments, he said, "I made one small purchase," adding, "I won't make an investment that Greg thinks is wrong."
Buffett said the recent heightened volatility in the stock market is not at a level that would lead to large-scale buying opportunities as in the past.
"Since I took over management, there have been three times when the market fell more than 50%," Buffett said. "This is not a level to get excited about as a buying opportunity right now."