With cash from operating activities up 34% through the first nine months of 2025 and a record cash reserve of $381.7 billion, new CEO Greg Abel is widely expected to propose an inaugural dividend for Class A shareholders. Under Warren Buffett, Berkshire eschewed dividends in favor of reinvestment and opportunistic share repurchases, but the unprecedented scale of cash generation—up from $160 billion at year-end 2024—provides both the liquidity cushion and shareholder return capacity to initiate a modest quarterly payout without compromising acquisition firepower or credit metrics.

In a marked departure from Buffett’s acquisition-only precedent, Berkshire has registered its entire 27.5% position in Kraft Heinz, equivalent to roughly 325 million shares, for potential sale. The stake has suffered a roughly 70% decline since the 2015 merger and incurred a $3.8 billion writedown last year. By filing the registration, Abel retains flexibility to trim the position over time—subject to SEC reporting—while preserving bargaining power for any bulk block sale and signaling a new rigor in evaluating underperforming holdings.

Following his transition to chairman earlier this year, Buffett is now expected to relinquish his board seat, fully entrusting corporate governance to Abel and Vice Chair Ajit Jain. In recent statements, Buffett endorsed Abel’s stewardship—citing his deep operational knowledge and decisive leadership—and committed to no further intervention in day-to-day decisions. The impending board turnover not only cements succession planning but also paves the way for potential shifts in capital allocation policies, corporate governance practices and merger-and-acquisition criteria under Abel’s sole authority.