Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway added to its already large Occidental Petroleum stake over the past trading sessions, a regulatory filing revealed Tuesday evening.
The Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate bought nearly 5.8 million shares of the oil company in a few separate trades on Friday, Monday and Tuesday, paying prices in a range from $59.85 to $61.90, the filing showed.
The latest purchase, totaling more than $350 million, marked the first time the "Oracle of Omaha" hiked his bet since September. Berkshire now owns 200.2 million shares of Occidental, worth $12.2 billion based on Tuesday's close of $60.85. The conglomerate now holds 22.2% of the oil company, up from 21.4% previously.
Occidental, now among Berkshire's top 10 holdings, has seen its stock retreat about 3% this year following a stellar 2022. The energy name was the best performer in the S&P 500 last year, more than doubling in price.
On Monday, Occidental CEO Vicki Hollub said in an interview with CNBC's Brian Sullivan that she met with the 92-year-old investor "just a few days ago." Hollub said they talked about the oil and gas industry and the technology involved in it.
In August, Berkshire received regulatory approval to purchase up to 50%, spurring speculation it may eventually buy all of Houston-based Occidental.
Berkshire also owns $10 billion of Occidental preferred stock, and has warrants to buy another 83.9 million common shares for $5 billion, or $59.62 each. The warrants were obtained as part of the company's 2019 deal that helped finance Occidental's purchase of Anadarko.