Warren Buffett, an investor, has given an unidentified charity $27 million worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock.
Buffett revealed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late on Wednesday that he had given 50 Class A shares of Berkshire stock as a gift. Buffett has been giving annual grants to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and four other family-run nonprofits since 2006, in addition to this donation. More than 99% of Buffett’s almost $118 billion fortune, which he has promised will eventually go to charity, has been disbursed gradually over time. Over the years, he has donated stock to those five foundations totaling almost $50 billion. Buffett did not mention the organization that was the recipient of his most recent gift this week. Buffett still owns 218,237 Class A shares of Berkshire stock, the most expensive shares on the market, even after this most recent contribution. The shares were up $2.183 on Thursday morning and sold for $539,680 each. There is a Class B share offered by Berkshire that is less expensive and has fewer voting rights than the A shares. On Thursday morning, the Class B shares were trading for $355.95. Buffett owns a large number of companies through his Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, including the BNSF railway, Geico insurance, and numerous significant utilities. It also has a diverse range of retail and manufacturing businesses. A $350 billion stock portfolio that includes significant holdings in Apple, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, and American Express is held by Berkshire in addition to the businesses it owns outright.
