Berkshire Hathaway reports 18% jump in Q1 profit as cash hoard nears $400 billion

Berkshire Hathaway reported first-quarter 2026 operating earnings of $11.35 billion, up 18% from $9.64 billion a year earlier, as the conglomerate’s cash and short-term investments rose to a record $397.38 billion.

The company’s net income climbed to about $10.1 billion, more than double the same quarter a year ago. Reuters reported that the increase in operating profit was driven mainly by stronger insurance underwriting and gains in other operating businesses.

Berkshire also bought back about $234 million of its own stock during the quarter, its first repurchases since May 2024. The move was modest relative to the size of the company’s balance sheet, but it marked a return to buybacks after a long pause.

The results reinforce Berkshire’s position as one of the largest corporate cash holders in the U.S. The company’s liquidity has continued to grow even as it remains cautious about deploying capital, with the latest figure coming close to the $400 billion mark.

The quarterly filing was released on May 2, 2026 and was quickly followed by Reuters and other market coverage. Investors are likely to focus on whether Berkshire continues to prioritise cash preservation or steps up capital deployment in coming quarters.

What to watch

The next focus will be whether Berkshire’s insurance operations keep driving operating profit and whether share repurchases remain limited or expand later in the year.