Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) Warren Buffett was back in buying mode during the second quarter, according to the latest SEC filing revealing his equity holdings. The big moves were the addition to Berkshire's stake in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and establishment of a new position in Fiserv (Nasdaq: FISV).

First the big bites

Company Name

No. Shares Bought Q2 2010

% Share Increase vs. Q1 2010

Estimated $Purchase*

Shares Held by Berkshire Hathaway 6/30/10

Johnson & Johnson

17.4 million

73%

$1.1 billion

41.3 million

Fiserv

4.4 million

N/A – New Holding

$219 million

4.4 million

Source: Company reports, Yahoo! Finance.
*Based on average daily close prices during Q2 2010.

While Buffett sold J&J shares as recently as last quarter, he apparently had a change of heart in the second quarter, doubling down on the company's shares. With a steady stream of product recalls, including infant's and children's versions of its marquee Tylenol brand, J&J has been under pressure, and its shares have underperformed both the S&P 500 and the Dow over the last year. The Oracle must see opportunity in this situation, and apparently so do many Fools, as the company sports a five-star CAPS rating.

Fiserv, a new holding for Berkshire, is an information technology and back-end services provider to the financial services industry. With 16,000 customers and a focus on essential but dull activities like check clearing, Fiserv enjoys the benefits of economies of scale and high customer switching costs, characteristics that both Buffett and Motley Fool Inside Value advisor Joe Magyer favor.  

Small nibbles
In addition to its J&J and Fiserv purchases, Berkshire Hathaway added small amounts to four existing positions. A consistent buyer of Becton Dickinson and Iron Mountain, Berkshire bought more of both for the third straight quarter.  Small additions were also made to its position in pharmaceuticals giant sanofi-aventis and Nalco, best known recently as the maker of chemicals used to disperse oil in the Gulf of Mexico following the BP spill.

The selling
Buffett continued to shrink his stake in ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), a holding that he likely regrets. He also trimmed his stakes in Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), Kraft (NYSE: KFT), and M&T Bank.

Company Name

No. Shares Sold
Q2 2010

% Share Decrease vs. Q1 2010

Estimated Sale Proceeds*

Shares Held by Berkshire Hathaway 6/30/10

ConocoPhillips

5.1 million

15.0%

$271 million

29.1 million

Procter & Gamble

1.0 million

1.3%

$63 million

78.1 million

Kraft

1.5 million

1.4%

$45 million

105.2 million

M&T Bank

199,000

3.6%

$17 million

5.4 million

Source: Company reports, Yahoo! Finance.
* Based on average daily close prices during Q2 2010.

Surprises of omission
When I opened Berkshire's latest filing, I expected to see continued buying of Republic Services, a garbage hauler Buffett began buying last year, but no activity was reported.

In addition, Buffett reported no sales of Moody's shares, likely a judicious move given his testimony before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission in June. Berkshire has been reducing its Moody's stake over the last year, and I expect those sales to resume next quarter.  

What are your thoughts on Buffett's recent moves or guesses about what's next on the Oracle's buy (or sell) list? Let us know in the comments section below.

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