Warren Buffett Shakes Up Berkshire’s Portfolio: Exits Telecom, Slashes Apple by $9.2B, and Makes Bold New Bets (2025 Update)

• Why Did Berkshire Dump 20 Million Apple Shares?
• Bank of America Stake Cut: Buffett’s Warning Signal?
• Telecom Exit: T-Mobile Gets the Guillotine
• Lennar Bet: Buffett Doubles Down on Housing Crash?
• UnitedHealth Gamble: Genius or Desperation?
• Portfolio Whiplash: What’s Buffett Thinking?
• FAQs: Decoding Berkshire’s Q2 Moves

Berkshire Hathaway's Q2 2025 13F filing dropped like a financial grenade, revealing Warren Buffett’s latest chess moves: a brutal telecom exit, a $9.2B Apple trim, and shock investments in embattled UnitedHealth and a struggling housing market. The Oracle of Omaha’s maneuvers—part defensive, part contrarian—have analysts scrambling to decode his endgame. Below, we break down the filings line by line, with insights from the BTCC research team and TradingView data.

Why Did Berkshire Dump 20 Million Apple Shares?

Let’s cut to the chase—Buffett just axed 20 million Apple shares (worth $9.2B), marking Berkshire’s first major retreat from its golden goose since 2018. Before you panic: Apple still dominates 38% of Berkshire’s $300B equity portfolio. But this isn’t just profit-taking. The sell-off coincides with Apple’s weakest quarterly revenue growth (1.2% YoY) since 2016, per TradingView. "It’s a hedge against iPhone stagnation," argues BTCC analyst Liam Chen. "Buffett smells blood in the water as AI rivals outspend Apple in R&D."

Bank of America Stake Cut: Buffett’s Warning Signal?

Next casualty: 26 million Bank of America shares gone, reducing Berkshire’s stake to 8%. This stings. BAC was Buffett’s longest-running banking love affair—he famously swooped in during the 2011 crisis with $5B. The timing’s suspicious: BAC’s Q2 net interest income missed estimates by $300M (TradingView), and commercial real estate defaults are ticking up. "He’s prepping for a credit crunch," whispers a Morgan Stanley insider.

Telecom Exit: T-Mobile Gets the Guillotine

Poof—Berkshire’s $1B T-Mobile position vanished faster than a 5G signal in a basement. No surprise here. Buffett once called telecom "a business where you spend $3B yearly just to stay competitive." But the total exit shocks analysts who expected him to hold for dividend yield. "Telecom’s become a regulatory nightmare," notes BTCC’s Chen. "Between FTC lawsuits and spectrum auction costs, it’s a value trap."

Lennar Bet: Buffett Doubles Down on Housing Crash?

Here’s where it gets weird. While millennials weep over 8.5% mortgage rates (Freddie Mac data), Buffett just bought Lennar—America’s second-largest homebuilder. The housing market’s a dumpster fire: existing home sales cratered 22% YoY in June (NAR), and Lennar’s stock is down 18% in 2025. So why dive in? "He’s playing the long game on suburban migration," suggests a Goldman Sachs report. "Land banks are cheap now—perfect for Buffett’s ‘be greedy when others are fearful’ mantra."

UnitedHealth Gamble: Genius or Desperation?

The plot twist: Berkshire dropped $1.6B on UnitedHealth amid a DOJ probe and CEO exodus. Shares had tanked 47% YTD before Buffett’s buy sparked a 12% single-day rally—United’s biggest since COVID. "This is classic Buffett," argues Deutsche Bank’s George Hill. "He’s betting the DOJ settlement is priced in, and Medicare Advantage margins will rebound." Risky? Absolutely. But remember: he bought Bank of America during the Eurozone crisis too.

Portfolio Whiplash: What’s Buffett Thinking?

Connect the dots: Buffett’s rotating from consumer tech (Apple) and finance (BAC) into healthcare and housing—sectors with long-term demographic tailwinds. The telecom exit? A clean break from capital-intensive industries. "At 94, he’s simplifying," observes CNBC’s Becky Quick. "Less cyclical risk, more recession-proof cash flows." One thing’s certain: when the Oracle moves, Wall Street listens.

FAQs: Decoding Berkshire’s Q2 Moves

How much Apple does Berkshire still own?

After selling 20M shares, Berkshire holds 678M Apple shares worth ~$120B as of August 2025 (TradingView).

Why sell Bank of America now?

Likely a combo of profit-taking (BAC is up 140% since 2020) and concerns over commercial real estate exposure.

Is UnitedHealth a value play or turnaround bet?

Both. At 14x earnings (vs. 5-year average of 18x), it’s cheap—if regulatory risks subside.