When investors are looking for guidance on stock picks, it can help to follow the lead of successful investors. Warren Buffett has a long history of market success and his investing strategies can point most investors in the right direction. Through his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A 0.43%) (BRK.B 0.47%), Buffett has achieved success that has made him one of the best-known investors of all time.
But just because he's been successful doesn't mean Buffett's investments are foolproof or exempt from market downturns. Like many other investors in 2022, Buffett saw some of his (and Berkshire's) holdings lose value over the past 12 months. Let's take a closer look at three of those picks that lost value in 2022 and whether they are worth buying in 2023.
1. Amazon
Warren Buffett is known for value investing, a strategy involving finding stocks that are trading below their intrinsic (real) value. For example, if a company's stock price is $200 and an investor believes its intrinsic value is $250, they would invest, hoping to profit from the 25% increase when the market finally prices the stock correctly.
Although Amazon (AMZN 2.29%) didn't fit the mold of a value stock for much of its existence, it's getting closer to matching that description these days. And while Buffett initially avoided the stock because it was so focused on growth, he has grown to love it. Berkshire Hathaway began buying Amazon stocks in 2019 at the direction of one of Buffett's trusted lieutenants, and the Oracle of Omaha admitted he was "an idiot" for not buying sooner.
Most everyone is familiar with Amazon as an online retailer, but it is becoming more known these days for its somewhat underrated (but lucrative) part of its business -- its cloud computing segment Amazon Web Services (AWS). As of September 2022, AWS controlled around 34% of the cloud market and lead the category by a wide margin. Cloud services are becoming increasingly indispensable for many businesses, and the global cloud market is currently around $480 billion. But it's expected to surpass $1.7 trillion annually by 2029, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 20%.
E-commerce is Amazon's bread and butter, but AWS is where the profits will be found, especially when you look at its margins. In 2021, AWS accounted for around 13% of Amazon's revenue, but it was responsible for almost three-quarters of its operating profit. Advertising is another segment seeing outsized growth for Amazon, pulling in nearly $10 billion just in its most recent quarter and climbing 25% year over year.
Data by YCharts.
Amazon's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is down over 72% in the past five years, meaning the stock is as cheap as it's been in a while. The stock price was down about 49% in 2022, but very few analysts expect it not to recover those losses. This opportunity could be too good to pass up for long-term investors.
2. Bank of America
Although Berkshire Hathaway stock doesn't pay dividends, dividend stocks make up a good portion of its portfolio, bringing in more than $6 billion in yearly dividend income to the company. One of those dividend cash cows is Bank of America (BAC -0.16%), which Berkshire Hathaway owns over 1.03 billion shares of (it accounts for 11% of Berkshire's portfolio). With a $0.88 yearly dividend per share, Bank of America provides Berkshire Hathaway with over $1 billion in dividend income annually.
As with many other companies, it was a rough 2022 for Bank of America, down about 25.6%. While rising interest rates negatively affected the bottom line of many businesses, it was a plus for bank stocks like Bank of America as it increased interest income on the money it lent. In the third quarter of 2022, BofA brought in $13.8 billion in interest income, up 24% year over year and more than half of its $24.5 billion in total revenue. Until inflation is brought under control, those elevated interest rates are likely to remain.
As the country's second-largest bank, Bank of America is well-capitalized to handle any adverse economic conditions that could come in 2023. The repercussions of a less-than-ideal economy are likely already priced into the stock, which could mean it'll see brighter days before the overall economy -- especially when investors begin to anticipate better conditions instead of prepping for the worst.
Data by YCharts.
There's a reason Bank of America is considered a blue chip stock: It's battle-tested and proven. And at current price levels and forward P/E ratios below other competitors, it's a great long-term play for investors with time on their side.
3. Apple
With a market cap hovering around the $2 trillion mark, Apple (AAPL -0.60%) is the world's most valuable company and the largest Berkshire Hathaway holding by market value. It's also a certified cash cow, bringing in over $394.3 billion in revenue in its 2022 fiscal year, up 7.8%, and $100 billion in net income, up 5.4%. It's these kind of metrics that Buffett loves in companies: stable earnings, strong balance sheets, and plenty of profits.
Two things make Apple a solid buy right now: an emphasis on making services a bigger part of its revenue and its free cash flow (FCF).
The brand loyalty of Apple consumers can't be understated. Once someone is in the company's ecosystem, it's hard to abandon it completely. But part of creating such an effective ecosystem is having the services to complement its hardware products. In its 2022 fiscal year, Apple's services revenue grew by over 14%, compared to just over 6% for its hardware. Services provide roughly one-fifth of the company's revenue, but the steady growth is a positive sign for the future.
Data by YCharts.
Apple's $111.4 billion in FCF gives it the financial resources to weather any economic storm, and with its stock down nearly 27% in the past 12 months, now could be the time for investing in it or increase a current stake. The company's commitment to innovation will be a growth driver for many years to come.
