Warren Buffett's value-based approach to picking stocks somewhat fell out of favor back in mid-2020, when growth stocks led the market out of its pandemic-prompted pullback. The market environment is more than a little rocky this year, though, and Buffett's philosophy is proving itself once again. Whereas the S&P 500 has been rather deep in the red over the past year of trading, Berkshire Hathaway stock is basically breaking even.
Translation: Given enough time, the all-weather Warren Buffett way still works.
Let's take a look at three Berkshire holdings you may want to scoop up for yourself, and soon. They're mostly underperforming for now. But these stocks tend to be recession-resilient, and they could end up outperforming the broad market in the foreseeable future.
1. Bank of America
At first glance, there are some troubling indicators surrounding banks right now. Rising interest rates could crimp demand for loans, while a weakening economy dents borrowers' ability to make loan payments. Such an environment also sours the stock market, undermining the banking industry's investment-related businesses.
But investors may be pricing in far more downside than is merited for banks at the same time they're overlooking the upsides of this situation. That's arguably what's happening with Bank of America (BAC 0.83%) shares anyway.
Yes, last quarter's results showed a sizable uptick in provisions for losses on loans that may be in the cards, and per-share earnings fell from $0.85 to only $0.81 per share. That's quite possibly the worst trouble the bank's facing though. Even the company's investment management operation more or less matched this year's second-quarter results as well as the year-ago Q3 results during the third quarter of this year despite the broader market's poor performance.
Indeed, things may even be looking up very soon for Buffett's beaten-down $133 billion Bank of America position, which accounts for more than a tenth of his total stock holdings.
Although Bank of America is likely to make far fewer loans within the next few months than it has during the past few months, the net profitability of those loans should be much greater than the bank's current loan portfolio. In a recent interview with Yahoo! Finance, CEO Brian Moynihan pointed out that continued increases in interest rates could add another billion dollars worth of profitability to the company's current bottom line. That would bolster net interest income that was already up 24% year over year last quarter.
It's a possibility, however, that's only recent begun to be reflected in the stock's rebound effort from a sell-off that dragged it 40% below February's peak price. Still down 20% year to date though, the bounce since October's low may be a sign that the market is finally starting to right-price this ticker headed into November.
2. Coca-Cola
The recession-related risk of losing a job may prompt some people to cancel a vacation or postpone the purchase of a new car. Economic weakness and burgeoning inflation, however, typically don't cause consumers to stop buying their favorite beverages.
Enter Coca-Cola (KO -0.01%), which is doing just fine at a time when most companies aren't. Last quarter's organic revenue was up 16% on a 4% increase in unit volume, meaning the beverage giant is successfully passing along its higher costs to its customers. The company also managed to gain market share in a very crowded drinks market. And, given all that its management knows right now, Coca-Cola is still looking for solid single-digit revenue and earnings growth for the upcoming year despite broad economic headwinds.
This loyalty makes sense. Coca-Cola is one of the world's most recognized and beloved brand names, and being in business for 136 years means it's had plenty of time to become a fixture of the global culture. Christmas ornaments, clothing, toys, and home decor are just some of non-beverage goods that regularly borrow the Coca-Cola logo and colors, reflecting the planet's affinity for the brand outside of beverages.
Of course, The Coca-Cola Company isn't just its namesake cola anymore. The company reaches plenty of non-soda drinkers as well; it also owns Dasani water, Gold Peak tea, and Minute Maid juices, just to name a few.
Perhaps the real upside to new investors, however, is the nuance that Buffett likes most about this particular Berkshire holding. That's the dividend -- and its reliable growth -- that keeps on coming even in lousy environments. The quarterly payout has not only been paid like clockwork for decades now, but the annual dividend payment has been upped every year for the past 60 years. Thanks to the stock's relative weakness this year, you can step into this stock right now while its yield is an above-average 3%.
3. American Express
Finally, add American Express (AXP -0.25%) to your list of Buffett stocks to buy sooner than later, while you can still buy it 26% below February's peak.
On the surface, it's just another credit company. Dig deeper, though, and it's much more. Whereas competitors like Visa and Mastercard provide a payments processing platform for card issuers, American Express builds and operates its own robust charge-card ecosystem. The bulk of the company's personal and business charge cards impose an annual fee, but it's a fee its customers gladly pay in exchange for incredible perks. The Platinum Card, for instance, offers access to select airport lounges, while the Gold Card offers outright credits for Uber Technology's ride-hailing services.
And this ecosystem of benefits is no small matter.
The company earns interest income like any other lender and collects the usual transaction fees for facilitating the purchase of goods and services. But it also generates a great deal of service and card-fee income. Roughly 10% of last quarter's top line came from cardholders' payments just for the privilege of holding an American Express charge card.
Of course, the economic turbulence could rattle consumers' spending and prompt some to cancel credit cards that incur an annual fee. But that's not as likely as you might suspect.
Aside from the fact that American Express cardholders really, really love their rewards programs -- in August, J.D. Power ranked American Express highest for customer satisfaction for a third year in a row -- credit cards aren't just for splurging anymore. They're increasingly being used as an alternative to cash to buy everyday goods. In this vein, American Express has collected nearly $38.7 billion in net revenue through the first three quarters of this year, up 30% from where it was at this time of year in pre-pandemic 2019. Analysts are calling for top-line growth of 11% next year, too, despite the brewing economic headwind. That's more than many other companies will be able to produce.
You won't want to tarry if you agree with the bigger-picture bullish premise either. While the stock's deep in the red for the year, American Express and now both Mastercard and Visa all agreed in their most recent earnings reports that consumer spending is remaining surprisingly firm. The market hasn't been pricing these stocks accordingly, but may well do that beginning in November now that all three players are singing the same chorus.
