Berkshire's continued BYD sales have reduced stake by almost a third

The latest in a series of filings reveals Berkshire Hathaway has sold 31.9% of the 225 million BYD shares it purchased in 2008 for $230 million.

Berkshire reports that as of January 3, it held 153.3 million shares of the Chinese electric car maker that has been outselling Tesla in its home country.

That puts Berkshire's stake at just under 14% of BYD's outstanding shares.

Berkshire first disclosed in late August that it had begun selling down its BYD holdings, but neither Warren Buffett nor Charlie Munger have said why.

In the past, both men have highly praised the company and its management, with Munger calling it a "damn miracle."

Reuters reports today that BYD plans to make car parts in Vietnam to reduce its reliance on China and "deepen its supply chain in Southeast Asia as part of a global expansion."

Berkshire's remaining shares are currently valued at more than $4.5 million.

BUFFETT AROUND THE INTERNET

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• Bloomberg (subscription): The Warren Buffett Way to Profit From the Energy Crisis - The Oracle of Omaha struck a gusher with his stakes in Japan’s major trading houses

• TheStreet: Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Stock Is Breaking Out

• Inc.: Warren Buffett's Time-Tested Tip Will Change Your Life and Career

BERKSHIRE STOCK WATCH

BERKSHIRE'S TOP U.S. STOCK HOLDINGS - Jan 13, 2023

Berkshire's top holdings of disclosed publicly-traded U.S. stocks, and BYD, by market value, based on today's closing prices.

Holdings are as of September 30, 2022 as reported in Berkshire Hathaway’s 13F filing on November 14, 2022, except for:

• Apple, Bank of America, Chevron, and U.S. Bancorp, which also include shares held as of September 30, 2022 as disclosed in New England Asset Management’s 13F filing on November 14, 2022
• BYD, which is as of January 3, 2023

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