Coincidence or careful planning? When investors saw this number, some exclaimed: Buffett's reduction of Apple holdings may have come to an end

After the latest 13-F filing this week, some investors noticed an interesting phenomenon. Following a significant reduction in Apple holdings by Berkshire Hathaway, as of the end of June 30th, the number of shares held in Apple and Coca-Cola by Berkshire Hathaway is exactly the same. Berkshire Hathaway holds 400 million shares each of Apple and Coca-Cola, which is an absolute integer.

Coincidence or Careful Planning?

It is worth noting that Coca-Cola is one of Buffett's longest-held stocks and one of his earliest investments. For the past 30 years since 1994, Berkshire Hathaway has maintained a stable position in Coca-Cola, with the number of shares held also being an integer:

Buffett first purchased shares of Coca-Cola in 1988, buying 14,172,500 shares at that time, and gradually increased his holdings over the following years. By 1994, he held 100 million shares of Coca-Cola. Due to two stock splits in 2006 and 2012 where 1 share became 2 shares, Berkshire Hathaway's holdings in Coca-Cola increased to 400 million shares.

Buffett once mentioned that he discovered the iconic soft drink Coca-Cola at the age of 6. In 1936, Buffett started buying 6 bottles of Coca-Cola at 25 cents per bottle from his family's grocery store and then sold them near his home for an additional 5 cents per bottle. Buffett said that at that time, he realized the extraordinary consumer appeal and business potential of this product.

Buffett has also praised Apple on various occasions. At this year's Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting in early May, he highly praised the iPhone, calling it one of the greatest products ever and possibly the greatest product in history. He mentioned that when he decided to invest, he believed that the value of Apple's stock was lower than its actual value. At that time, he didn't know how the iPhone worked, but he knew that consumers liked it. The value of the iPhone was greatly underestimated, and Apple's CEO, Cook, was as outstanding as Jobs.

Buffett even stated that Apple is the second most important business after Berkshire's insurance business. Therefore, when Berkshire's financial report this month revealed that it had sold over 49% of its Apple shares in the second quarter, the market was shocked.

At this year's Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting, Buffett also made several comparisons between Apple and Coca-Cola:

By the end of this year, Berkshire is likely to be the largest holder of Apple common stock. Unless there is a "dramatic" situation, Apple will be Berkshire's largest investment. Holding it is not just holding a stock, but treating it as a business, just like Coca-Cola and American Express.

Berkshire will continue to hold Apple, American Express, and Coca-Cola stocks for the long term, these investments have been very successful in the past. Apple will be a major investment for Berkshire in the long term.

Apple is a better company than Coca-Cola and American Express. "We own American Express, which is a great company, we own Coca-Cola, which is a great company, we own Apple, which is a better company." Based on the above information, some people believe that Buffett may have stopped reducing his stake in Apple. "If Buffett likes integers, he may not intend to sell any more Apple shares, just like Coca-Cola is Buffett's permanent holding, Apple may be too."

Many industry insiders believe that Buffett's reduction of Apple shares is for portfolio management purposes, based on overall market judgment rather than specifically targeting Apple. Therefore, as the number of Apple shares held by Buffett is at an integer level and consistent with his 30-year holding of Coca-Cola, some investors have speculated as mentioned above.

Of course, many investors also think that 400 million shares is just a pure coincidence, and they believe that it is really overthinking to assume that Buffett is anchoring this number for selling off