Friday's filing does not say who bought or sold particular investments. Mr Combs and Mr Weschler normally make smaller investments, while Mr Buffet directs big investments such as Wells Fargo and Apple Inc, Berkshire's largest.Kroger, in which Berkshire disclosed an 18.94 million share stake, has invested heavily to modernise stores, improve deliveries and boost its online presence to compete with rivals such as Walmart Inc and Amazon.com Inc, the latter also a Berkshire holding.
Many smaller chains have fared worse, including Earth Fare, Fairway and Lucky's, which have all sought bankruptcy protection this year. Kroger had invested in Lucky's. Berkshire's stake in Wells Fargo fell 15 per cent in the quarter to 323.2 million shares worth about US$17.4 billion, while its stake in Goldman shrank 35 per cent to 12 million shares worth about US$2.8 billion.
Mr Buffet's company also has more than 90 operating units including Geico, the BNSF railroad, Dairy Queen ice cream and namesake energy, real estate brokerage and auto dealer businesses.