Warren Buffett is no longer the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. However, new CEO Greg Abel is unlikely to sell all of Buffett's stocks, as the portfolio is filled with great businesses. Three you might want to consider today are longtime Buffett holdings: Chevron (CVX +2.90%) and Coca-Cola (KO 0.10%), as well as relative newcomer Pool Corp. (POOL 2.63%). Here's a look at each one.
Chevron is prepared to survive the energy cycle
A $1,000 investment will buy you roughly six shares of Chevron and its 4.2% dividend yield. Notably, the average energy stock is yielding 3.3% and the S&P 500 index is yielding a tiny 1.1%. Chevron has an impressive dividend track record, with over three decades worth of annual dividend increases behind it despite the volatile nature of the energy sector.
NYSE: CVX
Key Data Points
Chevron has proven it can survive industry swings while continuing to reward investors well for sticking with the company. Its integrated business model is a key factor, since it has exposure to the entire energy value chain. That helps to soften the impact of energy price volatility, since different segments of the industry perform in different ways through the cycle. Additionally, Chevron has a very strong balance sheet. This allows it to take on leverage during oil downturns to support its business and dividend until oil prices recover, as they always have historically.
The energy giant is almost always a good way to invest in the oil patch. However, the stock's relatively high dividend yield makes it particularly attractive at this time.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
Coca-Cola is doing well in a tough market
One thousand dollars will let you buy around 14 shares of Coca-Cola, and its roughly 3% dividend yield. The average consumer staples stock yields around 2.8%. Coca-Cola is a Dividend King, with over six decades of annual dividend increases behind it. That speaks to the incredible strength of the company's business.
Coca-Cola is the world's fourth-largest consumer staples company. It can stand toe-to-toe with any competitor in terms of brand strength, distribution capabilities, innovation skills, and advertising prowess. However, the best reason to like the stock today is the company's solid 6% organic sales growth in the third quarter of 2025. That was actually up from 5% in the second quarter. What's so impressive about this is that the consumer staples sector is facing headwinds right now, leading many of the company's peers to struggle.
If you want to own an industry leader that is doing well despite operating in an out-of-favor sector, Coca-Cola could be worth a deep dive for more conservative dividend investors.
NYSE: KO
Key Data Points
Pool Corp. has a hidden growth story
An investment of $1,000 will let you buy around three shares of specialty retailer Pool Corp. The dividend yield is roughly 2%, which is actually toward the high end of the stock's historical yield range. This is a newer addition to Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio and is the most aggressive investment on this list. That said, it is one that likely included material input from the new CEO, Abel.
Pool Corp. sells pool supplies, with around two-thirds of the company's sales directly tied to pool maintenance. The rest of the income statement's top line is tied to pool renovations and new pool construction. Both tend to be highly cyclical, resulting in volatility on both the top and bottom lines. That fact obscures a very important fact about the business: Selling pool maintenance supplies is an annuity-like operation. That's because not maintaining a pool will turn it into a nasty swamp. In other words, every new pool that's built expands Pool Corp.'s customer base.
NASDAQ: POOL
Key Data Points
The current issue is that the coronavirus pandemic led to a pull-forward in pool construction. Investors bid the stock up to unrealistic heights during the health scare and then dumped it when the pandemic eased, and pool construction slowed down. However, the underlying growth story remains intact, with every pool built during the pandemic expanding Pool Corp.'s customer base. There may be a bit of a lull in pool construction right now, but if you think in decades and not days, Pool Corp. could be a solid growth stock trading at an attractive price. That's just the type of stock Buffett likes to buy.
Buffett's influence isn't over
Chevron, Coca-Cola, and Pool Corp. are all holdovers from the Buffett years, which only just ended. Each one appears to be a solid long-term investment option right now. However, if you are wondering whether the stocks could be jettisoned by new CEO Greg Abel, making these ex-Buffett stocks, the risk is probably fairly low.
First off, the purchase of Pool Corp. likely involved the input of Abel. And, second, Buffett is technically still Abel's boss, since he's now the chairman of the board of directors. In other words, these Buffett stocks are likely to remain Buffett stocks for at least a while longer.
