By Colin Kellaher 



  Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on Wednesday said Chief Executive Warren Buffett donated about $2.9 billion in stock to five philanthropies as part of his annual giving plan. 


  Mr. Buffett contributed nearly 16 million Class B common shares to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the NoVo Foundation. 


  As part of the giving plan, Mr. Buffett converts super-voting Class A shares into Class B shares, which he uses to make his gifts. The company said Mr. Buffett has now donated Class B shares valued at more than $37 billion since he launched the annual giving plan in 2006. 


  Berkshire said the gifts have reduced Mr. Buffett's holdings to 248,734 Class A shares from 474,998, adding that the billionaire investor hasn't sold any shares and doesn't expect to between now and his death. 


  The company said Mr. Buffett expects his entire Berkshire stake will be distributed to various philanthropic organizations over 12 years following his death, with the Class A shares converted to Class B immediately before any distributions. 


  Write to Colin Kellaher at colin.kellaher@wsj.com