OMAHA, Neb. -- Warren Buffett's company bought 75 million more Apple shares in the first quarter, giving it more than 240 million shares of the iPhone maker.

Buffett told CNBC about the latest Apple stock purchases Friday as tens of thousands of shareholders begin to arrive at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting this weekend.

Berkshire has continued buying Apple shares even with the price rising 25 per cent over the past 12 months. At the end of 2017, Buffett's company held 165.3 million Apple shares.

Buffett has said he looks at Apple like a consumer products company with a strong competitive position, rather than as a tech company. That helped him become comfortable with it.

Besides investments, Berkshire owns more than 90 subsidiaries in a variety of industries, including insurance, utilities, railroads, and manufacturing.