Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway(NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) have been practically synonymous for decades. I doubt that will change with the legendary investor stepping down as Berkshire's CEO at the end of this year.
The good news for Buffett fans is that he isn't leaving completely. Berkshire's board of directors wants him to remain chairman after he turns the CEO position over to Greg Abel. Buffett will also still own a big chunk of the company. But who owns the most Berkshire Hathaway shares besides Buffett?
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Following the money
As of March 5, 2025, Buffett owned 206,359 Berkshire Hathaway Class A shares -- 37.9% of the total outstanding shares. No one else comes close to that level. This gives Buffett 30.4% voting power over the company's Class A and Class B shares.
FMR, LLC comes in a distant second to Buffett. The parent company of Fidelity Investments owns 33,517 of Berkshire's Class A shares, representing 6.17% of the total outstanding shares. Investment firm First Manhattan is another holder of Berkshire Hathaway Class A shares, with 2.73% of outstanding shares.
Because of the exorbitant price tag of Berkshire's Class A shares (close to $779,000 at the time of this writing), they aren't as widely held as the conglomerate's lower-cost Class B shares. Buffett owns only 951 Class B shares. The largest holder is Vanguard Group, which owns more than 148 million Berkshire Class B shares, representing 11% of the total outstanding shares.
Other fund managers also hold major stakes in Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares. BlackRock owns nearly 111.6 million Class B shares, roughly 8.3% of the total outstanding shares. State Street Corporation ranks high on the list as well, with nearly 71.7 million Class B shares making up 5.35% of the total.
Berkshire insiders
Which Berkshire Hathaway insiders trail behind Buffett in stock ownership? Several executives and board members have much of their wealth invested in the company.
The Oracle of Omaha's daughter, Susan Buffett, tops the list. She has been a member of Berkshire Hathaway's board of directors since 2021. She owns 80 Class A and more than 4.83 million Class B shares.
Her brother, Howard G. Buffett, owns 370 Class A and 2,450 Class B shares. He has been on Berkshire's board since 1993 and is expected to become the conglomerate's nonexecutive chair upon his father's death.
Ajit Jain serves as Berkshire's vice-chairman of insurance operations. He owns 166 Class A shares and 124,784 Class B shares. What about soon-to-be CEO Greg Abel? He has a significant position in Berkshire Hathaway as well, with 228 Class A shares and 2,363 Class B shares.
What will Buffett do with his Berkshire stake?
Don't look for Warren Buffett to relinquish his position as Berkshire's biggest shareholder when he passes the reins to Abel. At the company's annual shareholder meeting, he told attendees, "I have no intention -- zero -- of selling one share of Berkshire Hathaway." Buffett added, "The decision to keep every share is an economic decision because I think the prospects of Berkshire will be better under Greg's management than mine."
However, Buffett acknowledged that he plans to give away all of his Berkshire Hathaway shares "eventually." In his 2013 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, he mentioned that all of his stake in Berkshire "will be fully distributed to certain philanthropic organizations over the ten years following the closing of my estate."
In a way, Buffett has been married to Berkshire Hathaway since taking control of the company in 1965. It's only fitting that the two will be joined together until death do them part.
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Keith Speights has positions in Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
