Topline
Warren Buffett climbed a spot on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list Thursday, with his fortune topping Zara founder Amancio Ortega’s net worth as Berkshire Hathaway shares edged upward.
Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway attends the annual Berkshire shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, May 3, 2019. (Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP via Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Ortega’s fortune fell $1.8 billion to $140.1 billion after Inditex shares fell 1.6%, extending a month-long decline in Inditex’s stock to about 7.7%.
Ortega is a majority shareholder of Inditex, the parent company of Zara, Massimo Dutti, and Pull&Bear.
Buffett is No. 10 on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list, one place below Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, whose estimated net worth was nearly $160 billion as of Thursday afternoon.
Berkshire purchased 660,410 Lennar shares at an average of $81.59 each on Monday through Wednesday, increasing its stake in the housing developer to 26%, Benzinga reported.
Tangent
Buffett, who stepped down as Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO in December 2025, also exited his role as chairman in September. He is now chairman emeritus and remains on Berkshire Hathaway’s board of directors.
Key Background
Class A shares of Berkshire Hathaway are down a fraction of a percent since the start of the year, but have grown over 80% in the last five years of trading. The company holds major positions in Apple, American Express, Coca-Cola, Google and Bank of America. Berkshire’s market value is well over $1 trillion. Buffett, who has distanced himself from high-ranking positions at his company, has pledged to give away more than 99% of his wealth when he passes away, having already donated more than $72 billion, according to his Forbes profile.
Further Reading
Billionaire Warren Buffett Steps Down As Berkshire Hathaway Chair (Forbes)
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