Warren Buffett has been the CEO of the Berkshire Hathaway holding company since 1965. He plans to step down at the end of this year, but he will continue serving as chairman of the board. Even without the Oracle of Omaha at the helm, Buffett's successful brand of long-term investing is expected to continue.
Buffett typically invests in growing companies with reliable profits and strong management teams. He especially likes companies with shareholder-friendly initiatives like dividend schemes and stock buyback programs, because they compound his returns much faster. Buffett's strategy has been so successful that a $1,000 investment in Berkshire stock in 1965 would have been worth a staggering $44.7 million at the end of 2024. The same investment in the S&P 500 would have grown to just $342,906.
Berkshire holds a number of dividend-paying stocks, but three of them represent 47.7% of the total value of its $282 billion portfolio of publicly traded securities. Assuming Buffett and his team don't sell a single share in those companies, they could net the conglomerate a whopping $1.6 billion in dividends this year alone.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
1. Apple: $309 million in potential dividends this year
Apple (AAPL -0.33%) is the $3 trillion juggernaut responsible for some of the world's most popular consumer devices including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac line of computers. Buffett and his team spent around $38 billion buying Apple shares between 2016 and 2023, and the value of that position grew to an eye-popping $170 billion heading into 2024.
NASDAQ: AAPL
Key Data Points
It accounted for more than half of the value of Berkshire's entire portfolio at that point, so Buffett and his team sold half the position last year to reduce some of the concentration risk. Apple is still Berkshire's largest holding with a 21.7% weighting in its portfolio, but the conglomerate's performance is now less susceptible to the fate of one single stock.
So far this year, Berkshire earned a quarterly dividend payment of $0.25 per share from Apple on Feb. 13, and a second payment of $0.26 per share on May 15. It's likely to receive two more payments of $0.26 per share this year, bringing its total per-share payments to $1.03 in 2025.
The conglomerate currently holds 300 million Apple shares, so that would translate to $309 million in dividends this calendar year. But the value of Berkshire's Apple position is currently $61 billion, so its dividend yield is just 0.5%. Cash in the bank pays a better return than that right now, but it's still a nice bonus on top of the incredible capital growth Berkshire earned in its time as an Apple shareholder.
2. American Express: $479 million in potential dividends this year
American Express (AXP +1.23%) is a global payments giant with a presence in over 200 countries. Unlike its competitors, the company operates a closed-loop ecosystem, which means it runs its own payments network, issues its own cards to consumers and businesses, and also funds the underlying lines of credit. The result is multiple revenue streams and significantly more control over its operating performance.
NYSE: AXP
Key Data Points
Berkshire spent around $1.3 billion accumulating a stake in American Express during the 1990s, and it has been a cornerstone of the conglomerate's portfolio ever since. Berkshire currently owns one-fifth of the entire company, and its 151.6 million shares are currently worth $44.9 billion, which accounts for 15.9% of the value of its portfolio.
So far in 2025, Berkshire has earned two quarterly dividend payments from American Express. The first was for $0.70 per share on Feb. 10, and the second was for $0.82 per share on May 9. There will likely be two more quarterly payments of $0.82 per share this year, translating to total per-share payments of $3.16 in 2025.
Assuming Berkshire doesn't sell any of its 151.6 million shares, it stands to earn $479 million in dividends this year alone. That equals a yield of around 1.1%.
3. Coca-Cola: $816 million in potential dividends this year
Coca-Cola (KO +0.01%) is the world's largest beverage company. It's home to over 200 individual brands including its namesake, Schweppes, Powerade, Vitamin Water, Sprite, and Fanta, which it sells in more than 200 countries. Coca-Cola has built an incredible distribution network, which includes popular fast-food chains like McDonald's, to ensure its products are constantly in front of consumers.
NYSE: KO
Key Data Points
Buffett accumulated 400 million shares in Coca-Cola on Berkshire's behalf between 1988 and 1994, spending around $1.3 billion in total. He has never sold a share, and the position is now worth a whopping $28.5 billion, which accounts for 10.1% of the conglomerate's portfolio. Coca-Cola also paid Berkshire $776 million in dividends last year, so the investing powerhouse basically recoups its initial $1.3 billion outlay every two years on top of the incredible capital growth.
Coca-Cola increased its dividend at the start of 2025, paying $0.51 per share during the first quarter. It's likely to remain at that level for the rest of the year if history is any guide, placing Berkshire on track to earn $2.04 in dividends per share in 2025. Assuming it doesn't sell any of its 400 million shares, that means the conglomerate stands to earn $816 million in payments (a yield of 2.8%).
Berkshire's Coca-Cola position is one of the best examples of Buffett's investing strategy in action, as he relies on time and the magic of compounding to do the heavy lifting for him.
