Warren Buffett stepped down as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK)(NYSE:BRK) at the end of 2025 and as chairman this year. Buffett’s successor Greg Abel is now in charge of the large investment portfolio owned by the conglomerate company and can make changes. One change may not have turned out so well.

• Nucor stock is trading near recent highs. Where is NUE stock headed?

Abel Sells Nucor Stock

Steel company Nucor Corp. (NYSE:NUE) has been a favorite of Buffett’s for years, with the legendary investor taking a position in the stock in 1998 before later exiting. The investor re-entered a position in Nucor stock in the first quarter of 2025 and later added to the holdings

In the first quarter with Abel completely in charge (first quarter 2026), the Nucor stock position was decreased by 39%, with Berkshire Hathaway selling 2,500,674 NUE shares. This represented the second-largest decrease in a position that was not exited fully in the quarter.

The second quarter saw more of the same, with Berkshire Hathaway cutting its position in Nucor stock by 52%, selling 4,150,000 shares. This once again represented the second-largest decrease among positions not fully exited in the quarter.

Nucor stock closed the first quarter at $169.10 and closed the second quarter at $222.75. Today, shares trade at $249.69.

The shares sold in the first quarter would be worth $201,529,317.66 more if they were still owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Likewise, the shares sold in the second quarter would be worth $111,801,000 more if they were still owned.

Add it up and Berkshire Hathaway is missing out on $313,330,317.66 by selling the Nucor stakes in the first and second quarters, based on the quarter-ending prices of the sales.

At the end of the second quarter, Berkshire Hathaway owned 1,857,752 NUE shares, representing around 0.1% of the fund’s assets.

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What’s Next for Berkshire Hathaway

Not all the investment decisions by Abel have turned into missed profits and the investor was picked to succeed Buffett for many reasons.

Selling Nucor stock early is one example of moving on from Buffett’s company leadership, with Abel selling several of the former Berkshire CEO’s top holdings.

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Investors are eagerly awaiting the third-quarter 13F filing from Berkshire Hathaway, which is due by Nov. 16. This filing will show what other positions previously owned by Buffett were cut completely or trimmed down by Abel.

Berkshire Hathaway stock trails the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) in 2026, with a gain of 2.2% compared to a gain of 14.4%. The conglomerate also trailed the S&P 500 in 2025 with a gain of 11.5% versus a gain of 16.6% for the SPY ETF.

Buffett beat the S&P 500 many years in his career, but recent history shows the conglomerate posting smaller returns than the market index. Abel will be tasked with deciding which positions he should keep in the future and what new stock holdings to avoid.

Read Also: If You Invested $1,000 In Berkshire Hathaway Stock When Warren Buffett First Did, Here's How Much You'd Have Today

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