Buffett’s bite of Apple bigger than thought

Berkshire Hathaway holds 133 million shares of Apple, CEO says.

OMAHA, NEB. — Billionaire Warren Buffett, famously leery of technology companies, has loaded up on Apple shares after noticing how inseparable iPhone users are from the gadget once they get one in their pocket.

Buffett said on CNBC Monday that Berkshire Hathaway now holds about 133 million shares of Apple after buying yet more of the company’s stock this year. That’s more than double the stake that Berkshire revealed earlier this month.

Buffett spoke to CNBC at length after releasing his annual letter to shareholders over the weekend.

Buffett’s aggressive buying spree caught many off guard because he has long said it’s too difficult to predict which tech companies will prevail.

In this case, perceptions matter. Buffett sees Apple as more of a consumer products maker than a tech company, which brought the iPhone maker right into his comfort zone.

“Apple strikes me as having quite a sticky product and an enormously useful product to people who use it, not that I do,” said Buffett, who produced the basic flip phone that he relies on.

Buffett was struck by how many of his grandchildren’s friends use iPhones and how many people visiting the Berkshire-owned Nebraska Furniture Mart, which has an electronics wing, wanted to replace one iPhone with another.

Apple wasn’t the only investment evolution for Buffett, who bought more than $9 billion of airline stocks after years of advising investors to steer clear of the industry, citing its significant capital requirements and poor returns.

Buffett said it’s true airlines had “a bad century” but he now believes that consolidation in the industry has created a healthier environment, pointing out that planes are flying at least 80 percent capacity at major carriers.

Berkshire Hathaway holds a sizeable stake in American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Continental and Southwest. On Monday, United announced that it was ramping up flights in a number of crucial locations.

Contentious political divisions in the U.S. were addressed briefly. Buffett said he agrees with President Donald Trump on some issues such as entitlements, social security and the fact that some businesses face too much regulation.

While the long-time Democrat who supported Hillary Clinton last year said he’d be unlikely to vote for Trump, he said mixing investments and politics is a mistake. The U.S. economy will grow regardless of who is president.

“This country always comes back,” Buffett said.

That was one of the themes Buffett emphasized in his letter to shareholders of the Omaha, Nebraska, conglomerate he leads. Berkshire owns more than 90 companies, including BNSF railroad, Geico, utility, clothing, furniture and jewelry firms. It also has major investments in such companies as American Express, IBM and Wells Fargo & Co.