Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) (NYSE:BRK.A) Q4 operating earnings rose 28% from a year ago, driven by improvements in insurance underwriting and investment income, which more than offset declines at its railroad, utilities and energy, and other businesses.
The company doubled the amount of its common stock it repurchased to $2.2B during the quarter compared with $1.1B in Q3, bringing 2023 purchases to $9.2B.
The investment titan held ~$167.6B in cash and short-term securities on its balance sheet as of Dec. 31, 2023, climbing from $157B at Sept. 30.
Q4 operating income of $8.48B declined from $10.8B in Q3 and increased from $6.63B a year ago.
Overall operating earnings for the year increased to $37B from $30B year over year. Total revenues increased to $364B from $306B year over year
[Link to annual shareholder letter](https://www.berkshirehathaway.com/2023ar/linksannual23.html)
