Berkshire stock hits all-time high

Shares of Berkshire Hathaway hit an all-time high Thursday of 339,769.60. That tops the previous high set in the fall of 2018. They closed today around 338,080. The current market value of the company is more than $552 billion.

The more widely-held Class B shares also hit a new high: 226.52.

Despite the new heights, Berkshire is still far behind the benchmark S&P 500 stock index. It's up more than 26% so far this year. Both Berkshire shares classes are up around 10.7%.

Tracy Britt Cool sets post-Berkshire course

Tracy Britt Cool, hired by Warren Buffett in 2009 when she was 25, has a new gig now that she's leaving Berkshire Hathaway.

She's joining the board of a new $340 million acquisitions vehicle called EverArc that will be listed in London.  It will look for companies that are too small for Berkshire.

As CEO of Berkshire subsidiary Pampered Chef, she helped turn around the kitchenware company.

Speaking days ago at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Next Gen conference, Britt Cool sounded a lot like Buffett himself when she said, "The number one thing you have to start with in companies is the people. Do you have the right people? If not you have to find them, and create a culture and strategy with them."

Berkshire board member said to be leaving his day job

NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke plans to step down when his contract expires in August, a person familiar with the situation told CNBC.

Burke has been on Berkshire Hathaway's board of directors since 2009.

His father, Daniel Burke, along with current Berkshire board member Tom Murphy, helped build Capital Cities with its 1986 purchase of ABC, a $3.5 billion deal backed by Berkshire through a share purchase. 

In 1995, Walt Disney bought Cap Cities/ABC, generating a profit of more than $2 billion for Berkshire.

At the time Steve Burke joined the Berkshire board, Buffett was quoted in a statement as saying he "is business-savvy, owner-oriented and keenly interested in Berkshire, the three ingredients we look for in directors."

That interest may get even greater. The Hollywood Reporter says there "has been speculation that Burke may take a fuller role at Berkshire Hathaway given his close ties" to Buffett.

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BERKSHIRE STOCK WATCH

BERKSHIRE'S TOP STOCK HOLDINGS 

Berkshire's top stock holdings by market value, based on today's closing prices. The number of shares held is as of September 30, 2019, as disclosed in the company's November 14 13F SEC filing.

The full list of holdings and current market values is available from CNBC.com's Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio Tracker.

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-- Alex Crippen, Editor, Warren Buffett Watch