Verizon Climbs 4% After Warren Buffett Reveals Nearly $9 Billion InvestmentBerkshire Hathaway invested $8.6 billion in Verizon stock through the quarter that ended December 31.
ByBen Winck•
This story originally appeared on业务Insider
Verizongained as much as 3.8% on Wednesday after Warren Buffett'sBerkshire Hathawayunveiled a multibillion-dollar stake in the telecom giant.
The conglomerate revealed itadded 147 million of Verizon's sharesto its holdings in the quarter that ended December 31, according to a 13-F filing published Tuesday. The purchase amounted to roughly $8.6 billion in stock.
Buffett also took a $4.1 billion stake inChevronand established a $500 million investment in professional-services firmMarsh & McLennanthrough the December quarter.
Berkshire won regulatory approval to keep its three new investments private in its third quarter 13-F filing after arguing it wasn't yet done building the positions. New investments by the holding company tend to drive share prices higher, as a bullish outlook from Buffett often attracts new investors.
Elsewhere in Berkshire's portfolio, the firm trimmed its stakes inAppleandWells Fargo. It fully exited its positions inJPMorgan,PNC, andM&T. Buffett boosted the company's investments inAbbVie,Merck, andT-Mobile, among others.
Apple remains Berkshire's biggest single investment. The firm owned roughly 908 million shares at the end of last year. The stake's value accounts for about 44% of its entire $270 billion stock portfolio.
The new bets on Verizon and Chevron highlight Buffett's confidence in more traditional sectors to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The legendary investor was optimistic the start of the health crisis, telling investors they should "never, ever bet against America." While tech giants led the stock market's initial rebound, investors have since rotated cash to value and small-cap stocks in hopes that vaccinations and new stimulus can supercharge an economic rebound.
Verizon closed at $54.15 on Tuesday, down roughly 7% year-to-date. The company has six "buy" ratings and 11 "hold" ratings from analysts.
