32 companies mentioned in Buffett's letters — from the partnership era to the 2025 farewell letter. Each profile includes Buffett's commentary, investment timeline, and key passages.
Conglomerate / Holding Company
“We took control of Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates, a New England textile manufacturer......”
Insurance / Reinsurance
“We entered the insurance business in 1967 with the purchase of National Indemnity Company for $8.6 m...”
Consumer Staples / Confectionery
“Charlie and I found a very good business being sold to us by owners who wished to remain... See's Ca...”
Media / Publishing
“We own 10% of the Washington Post... which sells for $80 million... The business (the Post) could be...”
Insurance / Auto Insurance
“GEICO is one of the largest auto insurers in the United States... the company's loss ratio (losses e...”
Media / Newspaper
“The News is the only daily newspaper in Buffalo and has dominated the market for decades... its comp...”
Retail
“We own a 9% interest in Federated Department Stores... which operates department stores in major met...”
Finance / Trading Stamps
“Blue Chip Stamps is a closely-held company engaged primarily in the trading stamp business in Califo...”
Manufacturing / Shoe Machinery
“Rex Hall... had been losing money for several years and... the plant was eventually closed....”
Manufacturing / Diversified
“We purchased Scott & Fetzer at the end of 1984 for $315 million... The business includes World Book ...”
Media / Broadcasting
“We acquired 100% of Capital Cities Broadcasting... in a transaction that involved $3.5 billion... Th...”
Banking
“First National Omaha is a bank holding company... that was operated at very high levels of capital r...”
Aviation / Airline
“We made a $358 million preferred stock investment in US Air... We have occasionally written off our ...”
Utilities / Energy
“PacificCorp is a large electric utility operating in the western United States......”
Manufacturing / Shoe
“We made a bad acquisition — the "acquisition" of a manufacturing process for low-priced housewares....”
Manufacturing / Shoe
“Dexterity was the largest acquisition Berkshire ever made... It proved to be a complete disaster... ...”
Insurance / Reinsurance
“Berkshire acquired General Reinsurance Corporation... the world's largest reinsurer... at a cost of ...”
Transportation / Freight
“We acquired U.S. Freightways in 2003... It was a competitive industry that required constant capital...”
Utilities / Energy
“We agreed to purchase MidAmerican Energy Holdings... for approximately $2 billion in cash and assume...”
Transportation / Railroad
“Berkshire made its largest acquisition ever — BNSF Railway — in a transaction valued at approximatel...”
Technology / IT Services
“We purchased a significant stake in IBM in 2011 and now own about 5.5% of the company....”
Automotive / Electric Vehicles
“Our small investment in BYD, the Chinese automobile and battery company, was suggested by a member o...”
Consumer Staples / Beverages
“We established a new position of 14,166,500 shares of Coca-Cola... at a total cost of $592.5 million...”
Financial Services / Payments
“American Express... had a business that we felt was not cyclical and had significant franchise value...”
Banking / Financial Services
“We own about 10% of Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in the United States... purchased at a cos...”
Healthcare / Pharmaceuticals
“During 2006, we established new positions in Johnson & Johnson, Kraft, and others....”
Consumer Staples / Household Products
“We own a significant position in Procter & Gamble... one of the world's most respected consumer prod...”
Financial Services / Credit Rating
“We own about 16% of Moody's Corporation... the dominant credit rating agency in the United States....”
Technology / Consumer Electronics
“We purchased our first 12 million shares of Apple in 2016... cost was $6.6 billion....”
Banking / Financial Services
“During the fourth quarter of 2018, we purchased a small position in JPMorgan Chase....”
Technology / E-Commerce
“Our investment in Amazon.com was made by one of our investment managers, Todd Combs....”
Utilities / Energy
“We acquired all of Dominion Energy's natural gas transmission and storage assets....”