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For more than six decades, investors have watched Warren Buffett’s every move carefully. Studied every word he spoke and every stock he bought. His incredible ability to find valuable companies helped Berkshire Hathaway to become an investment powerhouse.
In this article, we will look at recent Berkshire Hathaway portfolio moves and do Warren Buffett portfolio analysis. While many focus on quick gains, Buffett’s patient and long-term approach continues to stand out. By understanding Warren Buffett top moves, we can gain valuable insights for our own investment journey in today’s challenging market.
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio
In his latest and final annual meeting, Warren Buffett revealed key portfolio changes.
These changes reflect the strategic pivot in response to evolving market dynamics. Before announcing his upcoming retirement, Buffett reduced positions in major financial stocks. At the same time, he increased stakes in consumer staples and energy companies.
The changes in the portfolio underscore a cautious yet opportunistic stance, as evident from the firm’s cash reserves. Berkshire Hathaway’s cash reserve hit a record of $347 billion in the first quarter of 2025.
As of March 31st, 2025, Berkshire Hathaway’s stock holdings include 42 stocks. Its largest holding is Apple, worth around $63 billion. As of 18th May 2025, the total value of the portfolio is $287 billion, while the company’s market capitalization stands at $1.2 trillion.
From 1965 and 2024, Berkshire Hathaway performance was impressive. Its share price delivered annualized growth of 19.9%. This is nearly double the 10.4% returns from the S&P 500 index.
Berkshire Hathaway’s Investment Strategy
Warren Buffett and his long-time partner, Charlie Munger, shaped Berkshire Hathaway’s investment principles.
These ideas shaped every decision made at Berkshire Hathaway:
Value Investing: Buffett looks for companies that are trading below their intrinsic value. Meaning, stocks that are worth more than their current market price when considering future cash flows and growth potential.
He focused on business with strong fundamentals rather than trying to time market movements or follow trends.
Long-term Perspective: Unlike many investors, who buy and sell stocks frequently, Berkshire prefers to hold investments for years, even decades. Buffett famously said once, his favorite holding period is forever.
One of the top stock picks by Buffett was Coca-Cola. Berkshire Hathaway started investing in Coca-Cola in 1988, accumulating 400 million shares over the period. The company continues to hold the stock even today with Buffett termining it as a forever investment.
Circle of Competence: Berkshire invests in businesses they understands. If Buffett cannot figure out the business model of companies or measure the future cash flows, he tends to avoid the company.
Quality Over Price: While seeking good value, Buffett prefers paying a fair price for a great company rather than a great price for a mediocre company. He looks for companies with sustainable competitive advantage or economic moats.
Financial Strength: Buffett prefers investments in companies that have consistent earnings, high returns on equity, little debt, and strong free cash flow.
Strong Leadership: Buffett seeks businesses led by honest and capable management teams that prioritize shareholder interest.
Key Changes in Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio
In the first quarter of 2025, Warren Buffett executed some key changes to Berkshire Hathaway portfolio.
Exit from Financial Stocks
Berkshire Hathaway fully exited Citigroup and Brazilian Fintech Nu Holdings. It also trimmed stakes in Bank of America and Capital One. These changes suggest a cautious approach towards banking sectors, possibly in response to market risks, regulatory shifts, and concerns over rising consumer debt.
Rotating into Consumer and Energy Play
Berkshire doubled its position in Dominos Pizza and Constellation Brands, the parent of Corona Beer. Both companies have shown resilience and growth potential even during inflationary conditions.
Buffett also increased his stake in Occidental Petroleum to 28%. The move aligns with Buffett’s stock strategy to invest in cash-generative businesses.
Berkshire also added VeriSign and Sirius XM, two technology companies with strong recurring revenue models.
Top 5 stocks bought by Berkshire Hathaway
Here are the top 5 Buffett’s stock picks in Q1 2025:
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- Constellation Brands (STZ): Berkshire has acquired nearly 12 million shares of the company, translating to a 6.7% stake. The holding is valued at nearly $2.3 billion.
- Dominos Pizza (DPZ): The investment in Dominos Pizza was increased by 86% q-o-q, bringing the total share holdings to 2.4 million, valued at $1.3 billion.
- Occidental Petroleum: Berkshire Hathaway now owns 264 million shares, or 27% of the company. The holding is worth around $11.4 billion.
- Sirius XM Holdings (SIRI): The stake in Sirius XM holdings was increased to 35.4%, with Berkshire Hathaway now holding 119 million shares.
- VeriSign (VRSN): It is an internet infrastructure company and global provider of domain name registry services. Berkshire Hathaway has slightly increased its stake in this long-held position, taking the total holdings to 13.2 million shares.
Conclusion
The recent changes in Berkshire Hathaway stock portfolio show a strategy rooted in its principles and discipline. From trimming financial stocks, investing in stable sectors, to holding a record-high level of cash. Buffett seems he is not to be worried about the high cash levels and prefers to wait for better valuations rather than buying expensive stocks.
As Greg Abel prepares to take the helm, the investors will closely watch how Berkshire’s investment strategy evolves under new leadership.
