Berkshire Hathaway Class A Shares Lag S&P 500 After Buffett Exit, Abel Transition

Berkshire Hathaway’s Class A shares (BRK-A) have fallen 10% since Warren Buffett announced on May 3, 2025, that he would retire as CEO, sharply trailing the S&P 500’s 32% gain over the same period. Buffett, 95, disclosed the succession plan at Berkshire’s annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, saying Greg Abel would take over at year-end. Buffett officially stepped down as CEO on January 1, 2026, while remaining chairman. At Berkshire’s latest annual meeting, Buffett sat in the audience as Abel led the event from the stage, marking the first meeting in six decades without Buffett as the central figure. Analysts and investors broadly described Abel’s debut as operationally steady, though lacking Buffett’s long-established public profile with shareholders.