Berkshire Hathaway Inc, headed by leading investor Warren Buffett, has said that it has an additional $3.45 billion stake in Exxon Mobil Corp after it acquired 40.1 million shares in the company.

The stake in the world's largest publicly traded oil company might boost its profile for the investors. Even as the investment represents just 0.9 percent of Houston-based Exxon but indicates a strong backing by Buffett for the world's largest and most profitable companies.

Analysts have said that the stake acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway indicated that the the company has an approval from Warren Buffett and this alone is enough for boosting the attractiveness of the shares of the company. U. S. regulators require large investors to disclose their investments every quarter and this offers a view on their strategies. Buffett were able to gets SEC permission to delay disclosures in order to prevent others from copying him.

Exxon shares rose 84 cents, or 0.9 percent, to $94.06 during the afterhours following Berkshire's disclosure of its stake in a filing with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The shares had risen 63 cents during regular trading on the day.