Warren Buffett Rakes In $7 Billion From Bank Of America Stock Sales
SEC regulation could be at the heart of Berkshire's BofA sell-off
Billionaire Warren Buffett's recent run of Bank of America Corp. (BofA) stock sell-offs struck again this week, with his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. liquidating nearly $7 billion in BofA shares over the past two months.
Buffett's conglomerate, which is still the biggest shareholder of the second largest U.S. bank, has greatly reduced its BofA portfolio since mid-July while giving no explanation for the moves.
According to Bloomberg, the latest unloading occurred Thursday, when Berkshire Hathaway reported liquidating $760 million of BofA stock. Last week, the investment giant sold 21 million shares for $848 million.
Berkshire has sold BoA stock in nine consecutive trading sessions, dating back to Aug. 26. Buffett's investment firm has unloaded approximately 86 million shares valuaed at $6.97 billion since July 16.
Despite the mass sell-offs, Berkshire still holds approximately 11% of the company's stock, which is valued at $34.7 billion based on Thursday's closing price. But is approaching an important regulatory threshold.
By owning over 10% of the bank's shares, Berkshire is required to provide regular reports on its transactions to federal regulators. If the number drops below 10%, it may only be required to report on a quarterly basis.
BofA shares were down 2.85% in trading as of 12:25 p.m. EDT Friday at 38.74.
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