For the first time, Warren Buffett will not be the central figure at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting on May 2, 2026, in Omaha. This marks a significant leadership transition as Greg Abel officially took over as CEO at the start of this year.
As of early Tuesday, operating earnings fell nearly 30% in the fourth quarter of 2025. This decline largely stemmed from a staggering 54% drop in insurance underwriting profits.
Berkshire’s shares have also struggled. The stock has fallen more than 5% year to date and has trailed the S&P 500 index by over 30 percentage points since Buffett signaled plans to step down last May.
In an effort to stabilize the situation, Berkshire resumed stock buybacks in March for the first time since 2024. The company repurchased roughly $226 million of its own shares.
Greg Abel is showing confidence in Berkshire’s future. He used his entire after-tax salary of $15 million to personally buy shares in the company.
The annual meeting is expected to draw around 30,000 shareholders. Analysts have noted that it will be difficult to fill Buffett’s shoes on stage.
Macrae Sykes commented, “Clearly, nobody can replace Warren on the stage.” Meanwhile, Bill Stone expressed concerns about earnings growth for this year, stating, “I think part of it is really hard to expect a whole lot of earnings growth this year.”
