The countdown is on. Warren Buffett plans to step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A -0.92%) (BRK.B -1.14%) at the beginning of 2026. Although he'll continue to serve as board chairman, Buffett will hand over the responsibility of investing Berkshire's money to his successor, Greg Abel.
Because of frothy market valuations, Buffett isn't buying too many new stocks for Berkshire's portfolio these days. However, some of the stocks that he already owns look quite attractive. Here are three no-brainer Buffett stocks to buy right now.
1. Amazon
Amazon (AMZN 0.53%) isn't one of Buffett's largest positions. However, I'd argue that it's one of his best holdings.
Buffett loves for the businesses he invests in to have economic moats. Amazon has several. The company's brand, cost advantages, scale of operations, and network effects give it significant competitive advantages over rivals. In my opinion, few businesses have the breadth of moats as Amazon.
It might seem difficult for a company with a $2.3 trillion market cap to deliver strong growth, but Amazon can. A huge tailwind from artificial intelligence (AI) should continue to drive growth for the company's Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud platform. Despite being the 800-pound gorilla in e-commerce, Amazon also has ample growth opportunities in this space by chipping away at the market share held by brick-and-mortar companies.
Amazon continually explores new growth opportunities, too. For example, it plans to soon provide satellite internet services using its Project Kuiper network of satellites. Fortune Business Insights projects that the satellite internet services market will expand by a compound annual growth rate of roughly 18% through 2032 to around $25.7 billion.
Image source: Amazon.
2. D.R. Horton
Although Buffett hasn't been buying many stocks in recent quarters, D.R. Horton (DHI -1.68%) is a notable exception. Berkshire initiated a new stake in the U.S. homebuilder in the second quarter of 2025.
Why might Buffett and his team like D.R. Horton? For one thing, they know that the U.S. faces an ongoing housing shortage. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported earlier this year that the nation needs another 4.7 million homes. D.R. Horton has been the largest homebuilder in the country for more than two decades. It operates in 126 markets across 36 states. If any company stands to benefit from addressing the housing shortage, it's D.R. Horton.
Over the shorter term, the Federal Reserve's rate cuts have helped mortgage rates to fall to their lowest level in the last 12 months. Lower mortgage rates will likely spur new home construction, which should boost D.R. Horton's business.
Buffett doesn't only look at growth prospects, though. Valuation is also important. D.R. Horton scores well on this front, too, with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 13.6.
3. UnitedHealth Group
Berkshire's biggest new position in Q2 was a $1.57 billion stake in UnitedHealth Group (UNH -0.29%). Like his mentor, Benjamin Graham, Buffett knows that "Mr. Market" sometimes makes irrational decisions. The huge sell-off of UnitedHealth Group's shares this year could be a good example.
To be sure, UnitedHealth Group faces serious challenges. The healthcare giant underestimated the medical costs of some of its products, especially Medicare Advantage plans, resulting in lower-than-expected earnings. It's also under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for potential Medicare fraud.
But did this bad news warrant a decline of more than 50% in UnitedHealth Group's market cap? Buffett didn't seem to think so. I don't, either. And while the health insurance stock has rebounded somewhat, it's still arguably a bargain.
Importantly, UnitedHealth Group can fix its medical costs problems by raising premiums (which management plans to do, with most of the increases coming in early 2026). The DOJ investigation isn't as easily addressed. However, UnitedHealth has weathered similar storms in the past. I suspect the company will do so again.
