CNBC will be livestreaming the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting on Saturday, beginning with a pre-show at 9:15 a.m. ET.

Warren Buffett has loomed large at the company’s annual gatherings, and this will be a key challenge as updated CEO Greg Abel takes center stage this year.

Signs at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, welcome shareholders and proclaim that “the legacy continues.” the crowds were noticeably thinner at this year’s shopping day.

Long known as the “Woodstock for Capitalists,” the event has drawn shareholders from around the earth to hear the latest thoughts and reflections from the , on the other hand95-year-old investor. There is some skepticism about whether Abel, who took over as CEO in January, can command the same attention that Buffett and the late Charlie Munger, his longtime sidekick, did.

The “Oracle of Omaha” revealed the plans to pass the baton to Abel at last year’s annual meeting. No doubt, the 63-year-old Abel knew that his predecessor’s legacy would cast a long shadow as he tries to forge his own path.

Watch all of the day’s events here, including Abel’s question-and-answer session with insurance chief Ajit Jain and a panel with the heads of Berkshire’s other businesses in the afternoon. Shareholders will certainly look to hear more about what Abel plans to do with all Berkshire’s cash, which swelled to a record $397.4 billion in the latest quarter.

Notable highlights:

Berkshire’s operating earnings jump as cash hoard hits record near $400 billion

Here’s the schedule for CNBC’s live coverage

Tim Cook in attendance at the annual meeting

Apple CEO Tim Cook was spotted on the floor inside the CHI Health Center Omaha.

Apple remains one of Berkshire’s largest holdings, even after the conglomerate pared back its stake following a massive rally in recent years.

The iPhone maker also proclaimed last month that John Ternus will succeed Cook as CEO, with Cook set to become executive chairman on Sept. 1.

— Yun Li

Buybacks and equity portfolio likely to draw questions

Many long-time observers expect fewer philosophical questions that, in the past, typically dominated sessions led by the 95-year-old Buffett. Instead, more granular inquiries into operating businesses and strategy are likely.

Investors will also likely zero in on share repurchases after Berkshire resumed buybacks in March for the first time since 2024. the stock didn’t get much of a lift since then. Investors may press Abel on whether the pace of repurchases will accelerate in coming months.

Another area to draw scrutiny is Berkshire’s sprawling equity portfolio, and, on the other hand how it’s being managed in the post-Buffett era. Abel is already moving to put his stamp on the roughly $300 billion basket, reportedly unwinding positions tied to former investment manager Todd Combs after his departure for JPMorgan at the end of 2025.

American Express, Apple lead equity portfolio

Berkshire stated its investment portfolio remained concentrated in a minor number of well-known stocks in the first quarter.

Here’s the conglomerate’s top five investments as of the end of March, listed alphabetically: This also touches on aspects of portfolio.

Berkshire’s biggest stock holdings

Berkshire commented these five holdings accounted for 61% of its equity security portfolio’s aggregate fair value at the end of March.

— Alex Harring

Berkshire Hathaway posted a solid jump in first-quarter operating earnings, driven largely by a rebound in its insurance business, while amassing a record amount of cash for updated CEO Greg Abel’s coffers.

Operating returns from its wholly owned units — including insurance and railroads — rose 18% from a year earlier, according to the company’s first earnings report since Abel succeeded Warren Buffett as CEO at the start of 2026. Insurance underwriting led the gains, climbing 28.5% to about $1.7 billion.

Berkshire’s cash pile swelled to a record $397.4 billion, topping its prior high of $381.6 billion set in the third quarter of last year. That buildup came as the conglomerate was a seller of stocks, with roughly $24.1 billion in equity sales during the quarter. It purchased about $16 billion.

Shares of Berkshire have fallen about 6% year to date, lagging the S&P 500′s 5.6% gain. Berkshire has trailed the index by more than 30 percentage points since Buffett signaled plans to step down last May.

The underperformance came even after Berkshire resumed buybacks in March for the first time since 2024. Berkshire repurchased $235 million of stock in the first quarter, according to the earnings report. The firm had already disclosed that it purchased $226 million in stock on March 4, so this means it only did a slight amount more of buying as the quarter came to a close.

Some of the stock-selling activity may reflect a broader reshuffling of the portfolio following the departure of longtime investment manager Todd Combs, who left for JPMorgan Chase at the end of 2025, though the enterprise hasn’t disclosed exactly which positions were affected.

At the end of March, Berkshire’s top five holdings were American Express, Apple, Bank of America , The Coca-Cola Enterprise and Chevron.

Abel revealed he used his entire after-tax salary of $15 million to personally invest in Berkshire shares, and plans to keep doing so every year for as long as he’s CEO.

Berkshire investors weigh future under updated CEO Greg Abel

Ahead of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting Saturday, the mood in the air was cautiously optimistic as recent and returning investors weighed the company’s direction under a latest chief executive.

“I spent a lot of time studying Greg,” stated Robert Hagstrom, chief investment officer at EquityCompass Investment Management. “I think he’s not only the right guy — and he’s been vetted for so many years by so many humans — but he’s the right guy at the right time.”

— Sarah Min, Yun Li

Thinner lines than normal forming this year

There’s noticeably smaller lines forming outside CHI Health Center Saturday morning compared with prior years. That could signal less interest for in-person attendance among shareholders with Warren Buffett no longer leading the meeting.

Similarly, there were smaller crowds and shorter lines at the annual “Berkshire Bazaar of Bargains,” a shopping event connected to the gathering.

— Alex Harring, Yun Li

Berkshire stock underperforms into meeting

Berkshire Hathaway investors are heading into this year’s annual meeting with less-than-stellar returns.

Shares of Berkshire’s class A stock have dropped nearly 6% in 2026, putting the conglomerate on pace to notch its first losing year since 2015. By comparison, the S&P 500 has climbed more than 5% year to date.

What’s more, Berkshire shares have tumbled more than 10% over the last 12 months. The S&P 500 has surged more than 28% in the same period.

Berkshire’s shopping extravaganza sees lighter crowds

Inside the sprawling exhibit hall at CHI Health Center Omaha, the annual “Berkshire Bazaar of Bargains” on Friday remained packed with its usual crowd-pleasing deals — just with a little more elbow room this year.

The roughly 20,000-square-foot shopping showcase featured familiar staples, including Buffett-themed merchandise from Brooks Sports and chocolate coins from See’s Candies, alongside products from dozens of subsidiaries. Still, compared with prior years, lines moved faster and the crowds were visibly lighter.

Abel made the rounds across the floor, stopping at each booth to greet employees and shake hands with shareholders. Furthermore, experts in earnings report note the continued relevance.

Here’s the schedule for CNBC’s live coverage of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting

CNBC will be livestreaming Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting on Saturday, beginning at 9:15 a.m. ET. It’s a updated era for the business as Greg Abel takes center stage for the first time as CEO.

Although Abel will be driving the meeting, Berkshire shareholders are likely to still poise a wide variety of questions to the company’s leadership.

Here is a rundown of the day’s events:

9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.: Pre-show anchored by Becky Quick and Mike Santoli

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: Berkshire Hathaway business update

10:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m.: Morning question and answer session

11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. – Halftime show anchored by Becky Quick and Mike Santoli

12:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Afternoon Q&A session

2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.: Post-show anchored by Becky Quick and Mike Santoli

Note: Schedule reflects Eastern Time

—Christina Cheddar Berk