Berkshire Hathaway bought Geico entirely for cash over a period of two decades. Above, shareholders pose with the insurer’s mascot at the 2022 annual meeting in Omaha, Neb. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)One of the underappreciated aspects of Warren Buffett’s leadership of Berkshire Hathaway over the past 60 years has been his sparing issuance of Berkshire stock. That is one reason the original Berkshire stock has risen some 35,000-fold since he took the helm.