Berkshire Hathaway’s long hold in Moody’s underscores its bet on credit markets

Berkshire Hathaway, the investment conglomerate controlled by Warren Buffett, has held Moody’s Corporation since 2010, according to a Yahoo Finance report published on June 30, 2026. Moody’s Corporation, listed on the NYSE as MCO, is one of the world’s largest credit rating agencies, providing ratings and related analysis that investors and lenders use when assessing the creditworthiness of companies and governments.

The market coverage frames Moody’s as part of a broader set of long-term holdings associated with Buffett’s approach, emphasizing patience and the durability of business models that sit near the center of capital markets. In that context, Berkshire’s long duration of ownership is notable, even as credit markets periodically swing with interest rates, default cycles, and global economic conditions.

Moody’s business is closely linked to demand for credit assessment. When investors seek clarity about whether borrowers can meet their obligations, rating agencies become a reference point for risk pricing and capital allocation. That linkage is one reason companies in the ratings industry can be watched by long-term investors, including through periods when issuance volumes rise and fall.

Berkshire Hathaway’s investment in Moody’s also indicates how Buffett’s style has often favored firms that benefit from recurring institutional usage. Ratings are typically used across new debt issuance and ongoing monitoring, which can create demand that is less dependent on a single product cycle than businesses built around short-lived consumer trends.

While Berkshire’s stake longevity is supported by the Yahoo Finance coverage, the report did not provide details here on how large the position is today, how it has changed over time, or whether Berkshire added to or trimmed the holding in recent quarters. Investors generally watch these questions because ratings agencies can be affected by regulatory shifts, competitive dynamics among rating firms, and changes in the way market participants use ratings.

Moody’s sits within a sector that includes other major ratings providers, and competition can come through both methodology development and data-driven analytics. Separately, ratings are subject to oversight and potential changes in rules for how agencies disclose information and manage conflicts, which can influence both operating costs and business incentives across the industry.

For Berkshire, the key question going forward is less about whether Moody’s can maintain its role in credit markets, and more about how the company’s economics and governance hold up during credit stress. Credit downturns can increase the volume of rating actions and monitoring, but they can also raise scrutiny and risk-management challenges.

What to watch next is whether Berkshire continues to maintain the Moody’s position over the coming reporting cycles, and whether additional disclosures or filings clarify the stake’s size and trajectory. For Moody’s, investors will likely focus on indicates about rating demand, regulatory environment, and how management expects its revenue to perform through different phases of the credit cycle.