Warren Buffett has built a fortune in the stock market by playing the long game. Over the last 59 years, his investing skills guided Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A +0.21%) (BRK.B +0.21%) to an incredible return of more than 5,000,000%.
When the stock market falls, Buffett's top holdings are a great place to find quality stocks that you can be confident will bounce back. Here are two of his largest investments that are no-brainer buys right now.
1. Apple
Apple (AAPL 1.14%) is Berkshire Hathaway's largest investment, with 300 million shares at the end of 2024. The iPhone maker is ranked as the most valuable brand in the world by Brand Finance. The company's robust profits earned from its products, on top of growing revenue from services, make it a solid investment for the long term.
NASDAQ: AAPL
Key Data Points
Apple is poised to see more growth as it releases Apple Intelligence across more countries. It just rolled out these artificial intelligence (AI) features to iPhone and iPad users in Europe. In the last earnings report, CEO Tim Cook noted that iPhone 16 performance has been stronger in markets where Apple Intelligence is available.
That feature is a strong catalyst for growth. It promises to drive more upgrades and potentially convert customers of rival brands to switch to the iPhone, especially as Apple continues to improve its capabilities. The active installed base of its devices continues to hit record highs, which indicates growing brand appeal.
More devices in people's hands spell more opportunities to increase Apple's lucrative services segment. That division's revenue grew 14% year over year in the December-ending quarter and now comprises 21% of the company's total.
Buffett recognizes that Apple has tremendous brand power, which it uses to generate high margins from product sales. The company ended the last quarter with $141 billion of cash and marketable securities. It produced $96 billion of net profit over the last year and returned more than $15 billion to shareholders in dividends. It is printing cash like there's no tomorrow.
While Apple is not a high-growth business, it can raise the value of your investment. Analysts expect earnings to increase at an annualized rate of 10% over the next several years. A powerful brand and loyal customer base make it a solid long-term holding.
2. Berkshire Hathaway
Buffett's masterpiece is one of the best stocks you can hold in your retirement account. He continues to be the largest shareholder, with 38% of the Class A shares.
Berkshire owns dozens of businesses, along with a stock portfolio that was worth $271 billion at the end of 2024. The conglomerate's shares have run circles around the S&P 500 over the last five years, up 161% compared to the index's return of 88% at the time of this writing.
NYSE: BRK.B
Key Data Points
The stock has continued to outperform the broader market year to date. Most investors realize that a market sell-off can be valuable for Buffett to find opportunities to put more cash to work at attractive valuations, and therefore add more profitable revenue streams for Berkshire's business.
It entered the year with $331 billion in cash and short-term investments, providing plenty of firepower for Buffett to use if an opportunity presents itself. Berkshire's cash and stock holdings represent close to half of its $1.1 trillion market cap, which indicates solid value underpinning the stock right now.
That value is further supported by $47 billion of operating earnings from Berkshire's businesses last year. These include the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad; See's Candies; GEICO; Duracell; and one of the largest energy companies in the U.S., Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Total operating earnings are up 72% over the last three years.
Berkshire Hathaway is a no-brainer investment. Its growing earnings and large stakes in Apple, American Express, Coca-Cola, and several other outstanding businesses appear undervalued right now, making the stock a great buy.
