Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Invests in Ulta Beauty and Heico

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has made notable investments in the beauty and aerospace sectors, as revealed in its latest 13F regulatory filing. The Omaha-based conglomerate acquired a $266 million stake in beauty retailer Ulta Beauty and a $186 million investment in electronics and aerospace firm Heico during the last quarter. While these positions are relatively small compared to Berkshire's overall equity portfolio, valued at over $300 billion, they reflect strategic moves by Buffett's investment managers, Ted Weschler and Todd Combs. Ulta Beauty has faced significant challenges, with its stock plummeting 26% in the second quarter and an additional 15% decline since June, attributed to a slowdown in demand within the beauty market. In contrast, Heico has shown strong performance, with shares increasing by more than 32% this year. Additionally, Berkshire has increased its stake in Bermuda-based insurer Chubb Ltd. by 4%, bringing its total investment to $6.9 billion, making it the conglomerate's ninth-largest holding. In a surprising turn, Buffett disclosed a substantial reduction in Berkshire's stake in Apple, valued at $84.2 billion at the end of the second quarter. This move indicates a significant sell-off, with Buffett offloading over 49% of the tech giant's shares. The 93-year-old investor has been actively selling equities, totaling more than $75 billion in the second quarter, which has raised Berkshire's cash reserves to a record $277 billion, surpassing the annual output of several small nations.