Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has scored an $86 billion gain on Apple — more than the famed investor's entire net worth
- Warren Buffett's gain on his Apple investment easily exceeds his personal fortune.
- The billionaire investor's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate spent about $35 billion to buy 245 million Apple shares that are now worth about $122 billion, representing a gain of more than $80 billion.
- Buffett's net worth has sunk by $11 billion this year to $78 billion, reflecting a decline in Berkshire's share price and his philanthropy.
- Berkshire's Apple stake is worth more than four times as much as its Bank of America position, the second-largest holding in its portfolio.
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Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has made more money on Apple than Buffett himself is currently worth.
The famed investor's conglomerate spent about $35 billion to amass roughly 245 million Apple shares between 2016 and 2018. Apple's stock price has skyrocketed since then, boosting the value of Berkshire's 5.7% stake to about $122 billion as of Friday's close — an investment gain of around $87 billion.
Meanwhile, Buffett's net worth has dropped by $11 billion this year to about $78 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Apple shares have soared 66% this year, lifting the iPhone maker's market capitalization past the $2 trillion mark for the first time ever this week. Investors are betting the coronavirus pandemic will lead to people relying more on Apple devices and services to inform and entertain themselves and stay in touch with others.
Buffett's shrinking fortune primarily reflects a 9% slump in Berkshire's stock price this year, which has slashed the value of his 15.5% stake in the company.
The investor also donated $2.9 billion of his Berkshire stock to philanthropic causes in July, bringing his total contributions to $37 billion over the past 14 years.
Apple's surging valuation has made it a disproportionately large part of Berkshire's business.
For example, Berkshire's Apple stake is worth more than four times as much the second-biggest holding in its stock portfolio, a $26 billion position in Bank of America. Apple now makes up about 50% of the portfolio's entire value, finance professor David Kass tweeted on Friday.
Moreover, Berkshire's $122 billion of Apple stock represents about 25% of the conglomerate's $495 billion market capitalization. Buffett's company also had $147 billion in cash at the last count, meaning its Apple shares and cash are together worth more than 50% of its market cap.