Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A -0.21%) (BRK.B -0.21%), the conglomerate run by Warren Buffett, bought plenty of stocks in 2022. Through the first nine months of the year, Berkshire deployed more than $66 billion of cash into stocks, a big step up from the same time period in 2021.

Because of Buffett's and Berkshire's long track record of beating the market, investors pay close attention to when they make a move. Here are seven new positions Berkshire initiated in 2022.

1. Occidental Petroleum

Prior to 2022, Berkshire did not own the large oil producer Occidental Petroleum (OXY 0.34%). But at the end of the third quarter, the conglomerate owned 21.4% of its outstanding shares, and regulators have granted Berkshire the right to purchase as much as half of all outstanding shares.

Bans on oil imports from Russia after it invaded Ukraine earlier this year and the curbing of the global oil supply have helped drive up the price of oil and boosted Occidental's profits. The stock is up nearly 106% this year. Better profits enabled the oil company to reduce debt, increase its dividend, and repurchase stock.

2. Taiwan Semiconductor

Another large stake Berkshire initiated in the third quarter of this year was in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM -2.17%), or TSMC, a key chipmaker for Apple, which is by far Berkshire's largest position in its portfolio. Berkshire purchased more than 60 million shares of TSMC, which are now valued at more than $4.8 billion.

TSMC also makes chips for other industries, including the Internet of Things and automaking, and plans to expand its manufacturing presence in the U.S. The stock struggled this year and is trading down roughly 37% in 2022 due to geopolitical factors in China and rising interest rates, but revenue and profits in the third quarter surged year over year.

3. HP

Berkshire purchased more than 120 million shares of the computer and printer company HP (HPQ 0.55%), now valued at about $3.5 billion. Many consider HP as one of the start-ups that really started the boom in Silicon Valley.

But these days, HP is viewed less as a growth stock and more as a stable cash flow generator that returns plenty of capital to shareholders. For the fiscal year 2022, HP generated $3.9 billion of free cash flow and returned $5.3 billion to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. The company's annual dividend yield is roughly 3.5%. You know Buffett loves that.

4. McKesson

At the end of the third quarter, Berkshire owned just shy of 3.2 million shares of the large pharmaceutical company McKesson (MCK 0.53%), which are currently valued at $1.19 billion. The decision to buy shares looks to have been a good one for Berkshire, with McKesson's stock up close to 50% this year.

The company has been pretty active in dealmaking, having recently extended its distribution partnership with CVS and forming a joint venture between McKesson's U.S. Oncology Research and HCA Healthcare's Sarah Cannon Research Institute. The company also recently completed its acquisition of the prescription and benefits company Rx Savings Solutions.  

McKesson generates leading adjusted net margins in the sector, and many investors suspect that the company has the potential to greatly grow its small dividend yield.

5, 6, and 7: Citigroup, Ally Financial, and Jefferies Financial

Buffett is a longtime bank investor, although in recent years Berkshire has done more selling of bank stocks than buying. But this year, the company got back to its roots, initiating stakes in Citigroup (C -0.62%), Ally Financial (ALLY -1.18%), and Jefferies Financial Group (JEF -0.65%).

The biggest stake of these three is in Citigroup, which is currently valued at close to $2.6 billion. The Ally stake is currently worth $777 million and the Jefferies stake is extremely small at just $16 million.

All three are value plays, trading right around or far below their tangible book value, or net worth, and all three have high dividend yields as well.  

Citigroup is in the midst of a multiyear transformation after years of lagging returns. Ally has been putting up great results in recent years, but investors are concerned about the health of its auto loan portfolio as used-car prices come down. Jefferies faces headwinds from a significant slowdown in investment banking in general, but seems to have been gaining market share.