Suncor Energy Inc. (USA) (SU), General Motors Company (GM): What Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) Bought Last Quarter

It’s that time again, folks!

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) just filed its latest form 13F with the SEC, giving investors a much-anticipated glimpse of what, exactly, the world’s most successful financial holding company has been buying over the past quarter.

First, in order of the biggest percentage change, let’s take a look at where Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) just put its money to work:

Source: Berkshire Hathaway SEC Filings.

So what jumps out right away from Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A)’s latest buys?

First, the company opened two brand-new positions, including one in satellite TV provider DISH Network, and another in Suncor Energy Inc. (USA) (NYSE:SU), Canada’s largest oil and natural gas producer. While the DISH position is relatively small, representing only 0.03% of Berkshire’s total portfolio at the end of the second quarter, the half a billion-dollar bet on Suncor Energy Inc. (USA) (NYSE:SU) is sure to raise some eyebrows, worth nearly $595 million at its recent price of $33.44 per share.

What’s more, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) made some other big additions to existing positions, including a 60% boost in its General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) stake to 40 million shares, currently worth more than $1.38 billion. Of course, with the auto sector continuing to rebound while GM’s stock currently trades at just 12.4 times last year’s earnings and 7.6 times next years’ estimates, it’s hard to argue Berkshire won’t get its money’s worth over the long haul.

In addition, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) added to its position in engineering and construction company Chicago Bridge & Iron by 46%, and grew its already-huge stakes in Bank of New York Mellon, U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB), and Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) by 30%, 27%, and 1%, respectively — but don’t let Well’s Fargo’s tiny percentage boost fool you; Berkshire already owns more than a fifth of the mammoth bank’s outstanding shares, worth almost $19.9 billion dollars at today’s price of $42.95 per share.

One caveat
While some of these buys are certainly large, fellow Fool Matt Koppenheffer also astutely pointed out that something even bigger could be in the works thanks to a single line in the filing that states, “Confidential information has been omitted from the public Form 13F report and filed separately with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.”

Translation? Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A) probably already made an even bigger buy that the public doesn’t know about… yet.