Most investors probably haven't enjoyed the last few weeks as major stock indexes plunged. But Warren Buffett wasn't one of them. The legendary investor has watched shares of his Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A 1.08%) (BRK.B 1.14%) soar this year.
Buffett has even seen five stocks he owns hit all-time highs over the last month while the market fell. Some of them still appear to be good picks. But which is the best of the bunch?
Buffett's high five
Berkshire Hathaway itself stands atop the list of Buffett stocks that have reached a record high recently. Shares of the giant conglomerate have jumped around 15% year to date. This gain extends one of the most impressive performances of any stock on the market. Berkshire has delivered an average annual return of 19.9% since Buffett took control of the company in 1965.
NYSE: BRK.B
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BYD (BYDD.F +2.37%) (BYDDY +2.44%) ranks as Buffett's biggest winner this year, though, with a gain of roughly 50%. Charlie Munger, Buffett's longtime right-hand man who passed away in late 2023, championed the Chinese electric vehicle maker years ago. Munger once said, "I have never helped do anything at Berkshire that was as good as BYD."
OTC: BYDD.F
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International stocks have outperformed U.S. stocks in so far in 2025. BYD isn't the only non-U.S. stock in Buffett's portfolio that has delivered exceptional returns. London-based professional services company Aon (AON 3.94%) is another, with its shares rising nearly 9% year to date and hitting an all-time high in early March.
NYSE: AON
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With all the market volatility, many investors have flocked to safe haven stocks. Unsurprisingly, several Buffett stocks in this category have handily beaten the market in 2025. Grocery giant Kroger (KR 3.35%) is one of them. Although Kroger stock has retreated a little from its peak set a couple of weeks ago, it's still up around 7% year to date.
Telecom stocks have also performed quite well as the overall stock market fell. Buffett's sole telecom stock, T-Mobile US (TMUS 0.88%), is no exception with a year-to-date gain of roughly 16%. T-Mobile reached a record high earlier this month.
How these high-flying stocks compare
Four of these five high-flying Buffett stocks appear to be valued at a premium. Perhaps surprisingly, Berkshire Hathaway sports the highest forward price-to-earnings ratio of the group with its shares trading at 26.1 times forward earnings. The only relatively inexpensive Buffett stock that has hit an all-time high over the last month is Kroger with a forward earnings multiple of 13.9.
Aon and T-Mobile delivered the most impressive earnings growth in their recent quarters -- 43.8% and 48% year over year, respectively. BYD posted respectable earnings growth of 17.5% in its latest quarter. However, Berkshire's earnings sank 47.6% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2024, while Kroger's earnings fell 13.8%. There's more to the story with Berkshire, though. Its earnings decline stemmed from significantly lower investment gains. The company's operating earnings skyrocketed 71%.
What about dividends? Berkshire is the only company on the list that doesn't pay a dividend. Aon and BYD have low forward dividend yields of under 1%. T-Mobile's yield looks more attractive at 1.38%, though, with Kroger's forward dividend yield of 1.96% ranking as the highest of the group.
The best of the bunch
If you're an income investor, Kroger is probably your best pick. The big grocery store operator will also likely be the favorite for value investors.
For growth investors, though, I think BYD stands out. The company recently announced that it's rolling out assisted driving technology in all of its electric vehicles. BYD is also integrating with DeepSeek's artificial intelligence (AI) software in some cars.
But the best of the bunch, in my opinion, is Berkshire Hathaway. Sure, the stock is somewhat pricey right now. However, buying Berkshire gives you an interest in all of the other four stocks on our list plus many other great stocks that should perform well over the long run. Berkshire also has a massive cash stockpile of $334 billion that Buffett and his team could use to scoop more stocks if their valuations become more attractive.
