Warren Buffett has become one of the most famous investors of all time by applying a well-thought out, judicious, and patient approach to the financial markets.
The ‘Oracle of Omaha’ does not dabble in short-term trades or chase after trends — rather, he looks for businesses that have lasting, competitive advantages, solid management, and good valuations.
Over the span of his decades-long career, those criteria have made Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) into a company worth almost $1 trillion. But even Buffett is not immune to mistakes — for example, many consider that he was quite late to the party when it comes to tech.
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Still, the billionaire has managed to outperform the markets more consistently than most. Per the company’s latest 13-F filing, Berkshire Hathaway maintains 40 holdings — worth approximately $266,378,900,000. However, most of the companies it invests in represent a tiny sliver of overall holdings.
For a more focused view, let’s take a look at Buffett’s biggest bets.
Buffett’s stock portfolio returns
The top 4 holdings in Buffett’s portfolio account for 64% of its total value. They are, in order: Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), with 26%, American Express (NYSE: AXP) accounting for 15%, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) with 12%, and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) with 11%. There are no other holdings in the portfolio that account for a double digit percentage of the portfolio’s overall value.
All four of Buffett’s largest holdings are in the green when it comes to their 2024 performance. AXP stock netted the greatest returns — having appreciated in price by 60.33% since the beginning of the year.
Although Buffett slashed his stake in both companies, Apple and BAC stock saw gains of 35.15% and 32.05%, respectively. The fourth largest holding, Coca-Cola, is an outlier — having returned only 4.01% over the course of 2024.
Split evenly between these four stocks, a $1,000 investment made at the beginning of 2024 would now be worth $1,328, at a return of 32.88%. For reference, the S&P 500 returned 24.01% over the same timeframe.
Lastly, readers should remember that this is a simplified overview of the billionaire’s biggest holdings, used as an illustrative shorthand, as most investors would be ill-advised to maintain a portfolio of 40 stocks.
Disclaimer: The featured image in this article is for illustrative purposes only and may not accurately reflect the true likeness of the individuals depicted.
