In This Article:
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B, BRK-A) chairman and CEO Warren Buffett’s investment strategy has seen both ups and downs this year.
Yahoo Finance markets and data editor Jared Blikre — who also hosts the Stocks In Translation podcast — breaks down how Berkshire Hathaway’s biggest holdings have performed and evolved over time, naming several of the investment firm's biggest holdings.
At Berkshire's annual shareholders meeting over the weekend, Warren Buffett, 94, announced that he will step down and be succeeded by Berkshire Hathaway Energy Chair Greg Abel at the end of the year.
Twice a week, Stocks In Translation cuts through the market mayhem, noisy numbers and hyperbole to give you the information you need to make the right trade for your portfolio. You can find more episodes here, or watch on your favorite streaming service.
To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Catalysts here.
Warren Buffett made billions over the years with his value-focused long-term approach to investing in stocks. So let's take a look now at how Berkshire Hathaway's top holdings have evolved over the years. I'm Jared Blikre, host of Stocks and Translation. Most of Warren Buffett's Buffet's bets have had a rocky start to the year, along with everything else. Berkshire's biggest position, Apple, has shed 13 billion dollars with smaller losses in American Express, Bank of America, and Chevron as well. But consumer staples, Coca-Cola, it is up $4 billion. And let's now dig into some of the details. Berkshire first bit into Apple in 2016 with Buffett calling it the ultimate consumer brand powerhouse. At one point, Buffett owned nearly a billion shares. He's since cashed in on some of those gains trimming back recently, but at $75 billion, Apple's still Berkshire's biggest bet. Not bad for a guy who actually avoids tech stocks. Uh, Buffett first swiped into American Express in 1964 during the legendary salad oil scandal. Look it up if you're interested. And talk about buying the dip because he has held ever since, owning a fifth of the company. Buffett calls Amex his gold card, and a nearly $40 billion plus holding, he has no plans of giving up. In 2011, Buffett bet big on Bank of America $5 billion when bank stocks were decidedly not popular. He turned warrants, which are essentially long-term stock options into big profits, eventually holding over a billion shares lately. He has cut back a bit amid bank sector worries, but at nearly $30 billion, it remains a textbook MBA case in contrarian investing coming out of the global financial crisis. Now Buffett first popped open Coca-Cola stock in 1988 and has not sold a single share since. He calls it his ultimate forever stock, and at about $25 billion today, it has been a decades-long case study in dividends, brand power, and patience. His love for Coke is almost as legendary as the drink itself, and you can see him sipping it over the weekend at his final Berkshire meeting as Chief Executive Officer. Finally, Chevron is a newer addition. First fueling up in 2020, Buffett quickly pumped up his stake to around $30 billion, attracted by strong dividends and then solid profits. Recently, he's trimmed back a bit, but with around $17 billion invested, Chevron is still a key holding, a classic Buffett bet on dividends and fundamentals in a sector that's easy to understand. Every need everyone needs oil and gas these days. Buffett surprised the world when he announced he's stepping down as the CEO at the end of the year, but he's still holding on to the chairman of the board title, and as a result, Berkshire is down about 5% today. But that's only the worst day since the big tariff amounts announcements about one month ago.
