Apple Falls After Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Pauses Stock Sales: Retail Eyes iPhone SE 4 Launch

Apple, Inc. (AAPL) stock slipped early Tuesday even as Warren Buffett-run Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (BRKA) (BRKB) maintained its stake in the tech giant unchanged. The status quo followed four straight quarters of part liquidation. 

The 13-F statement filed with the SEC late Friday showed that Berkshire held 300 million Apple shares at the end of the fourth quarter, unchanged from the previous quarter. 

However, the value of Apple stock holdings increased to $75.13 billion from $69.90 billion at the end of the third quarter. The Tim Cook-led company’s stock price increased 7.6% during the fourth quarter, ending at $250.14. 

The stock hit an intraday high of $260.10 and a closing high of $258.74 on Dec. 26.

The fourth-quarter rally in Apple stock came amid sell-side analysts raising iPhone sales estimates as they factored in the positive impact of the Apple Intelligence launch in the U.S. and the potential worldwide rollout in the first half of 2025.

Berkshire sold about 10 million Apple shares in the fourth quarter of 2023 and continued to trim its position through the first three quarters of 2024.

When investors asked about the rationale behind the disposal at Berkshire’s annual shareholder meeting in May 2024, Buffett said the selling was done to foot the federal tax bill and aligned with Berkshire’s strategy to hold more cash amid an uncertain economic and geopolitical environment.

Apple continues to be Berkshire’s top stock holding in terms of value, accouting for just 28% of Berkshire’s portfolio in value terms, although down from 51% before the selling spree began, according to Saxo.

On Stocktwits, sentiment toward Apple stock remained ‘neutral’ (51/100), with the message volume stuck at a ‘low’ level. 

A retail watcher said they expect an upmove going into the iPhone SE 4 launch and a sell-off after the event.

Another user said Apple stock is primed for an eight-point drop in the very near term.

The Cupertino, California-based company’s stock has come under pressure in 2025, losing about 2.21% as analysts increasingly became skeptical about Apple Intelligence buoying iPhone sales.

Apple is due to launch the next iteration of its budget iPhone SE phone on Wednesday. It remains to be seen if the launch will reinvigorate volume growth. 

UBS analysts said the volume lift expected from the newest iPhone is already reflected in the firm’s estimates, TheFly reported. The firm has a ‘Neutral’ rating and a $236 price target for Apple stock.

However, Evercore ISI analysts expect the SE 4 launch to be a tailwind for the stock. 

In early trading, the stock fell 0.52% to $243.46.

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