As Warren Buffett prepares to step down from Berkshire Hathaway’s helm by year-end 2025, the investing world is taking stock of what the Oracle of Omaha has built. The holding company’s stock portfolio tells a fascinating story—46 companies worth roughly $313 billion, each hand-picked according to Buffett’s time-tested philosophy. But here’s what’s truly eye-opening: this massive portfolio represents just one part of a much larger financial picture.
When Concentration Becomes a Strategy
Most investors are taught to diversify broadly. Buffett does the opposite. The top 10 holdings in his portfolio account for over 82% of all stock investments, with a clear hierarchy that reveals his investment priorities.
Apple dominates at $75.9 billion (24.2% of the portfolio), followed by American Express at $54.6 billion and Bank of America at $32.2 billion. Three stocks alone represent more than half the entire portfolio. Then comes Coca-Cola ($27.6B), Chevron ($18.8B), Moody’s ($11.8B), Occidental Petroleum ($10.9B), and positions in Japanese conglomerates Mitsubishi ($9.3B) and Itochu ($7.8B).
What’s notable is how long Buffett has held some of these names. American Express and Coca-Cola have been Berkshire Hathaway staples for decades, embodying his core belief: finding excellent companies and holding them through multiple market cycles can compound wealth exponentially.
The Middle Layer: Smaller Bets With Big Names
Below the heavyweight holdings sits a tier of 14 companies representing about 14.8% of the portfolio. These positions reveal another dimension of Buffett’s strategy—selective exposure to growth areas and emerging opportunities.
Insurance specialist Chubb Limited ($7.5B), trading company Mitsui ($7.2B), and healthcare provider DaVita ($3.9B) sit alongside financial payments firms Visa and Mastercard (both around $2.2B each). Amazon appears here too, a stock Buffett initially regretted missing, though his investment team eventually bought it as a smaller position. Recent additions include UnitedHealth Group, purchased after a market stumble earlier in 2025.
This layer shows Buffett’s willingness to evolve—Chubb was added in 2023, signaling continued appetite for quality businesses even as markets shift.
The Tail: Where Capital Still Matters
The remaining 22 positions make up just 3% of holdings but still represent nearly $10 billion collectively. From Domino’s Pizza ($1.1B) to Charter Communications ($0.2B) to smaller stakes in luxury brands like Diageo, these reflect opportunistic bets and positions being wound down or held for specific reasons.
Pool Corp, Nucor, Lennar, and Aon PLC each represent targeted plays in their respective sectors. Even fractional billion-dollar positions matter when managing this much capital.
The Elephant in the Room: $344 Billion in Cash
Here’s what demands serious attention: Berkshire Hathaway is sitting on $344.1 billion in cash. That’s more than the entire value of its stock portfolio and enough to acquire most Fortune 500 companies outright.
Buffett’s decades-long reputation rests partly on discipline—waiting for the right price, refusing to overpay, and preserving optionality. The cash buildup over recent years likely reflects his view that many stocks don’t represent adequate value at current levels. But it also raises questions: Is this patience or missed opportunity?
When you’re managing hundreds of billions, risk management absolutely matters. But investors will likely spend years analyzing whether those trillions in cash sitting idle, earning less than reinvested returns could generate, represented peak caution or peak error.
What This Portfolio Reveals About Warren Buffett’s Investment Philosophy
The composition of Berkshire Hathaway’s holdings isn’t random. It reveals an investor who:
Favors quality over quantity: 10 stocks drive over 82% of returns
Values dividends: Despite never paying one himself, Buffett loads up on dividend payers
Holds for decades: Coca-Cola and American Express prove his mantra about time in market
Remains adaptable: Recent additions like UnitedHealth show evolution, not stagnation
Thinks like a business owner: These aren’t trading positions—they’re stakes in operating companies
The Bottom Line
As a new era dawns at Berkshire Hathaway, the portfolio itself stands as Buffett’s most detailed investment thesis. Whether future analysts view his recent cash accumulation as prescient or cautious remains to be seen. For now, the 46 stocks in this portfolio—anchored by Apple, American Express, and Bank of America—represent the distilled wisdom of investing’s greatest practitioner.
The question Warren Buffett’s successors will face: maintain the strategy or deploy that $344 billion?
This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.
Buffett's Legendary Portfolio Hits $313 Billion: Here's What Warren Buffett Actually Owns
The Empire Behind the Legend
As Warren Buffett prepares to step down from Berkshire Hathaway’s helm by year-end 2025, the investing world is taking stock of what the Oracle of Omaha has built. The holding company’s stock portfolio tells a fascinating story—46 companies worth roughly $313 billion, each hand-picked according to Buffett’s time-tested philosophy. But here’s what’s truly eye-opening: this massive portfolio represents just one part of a much larger financial picture.
When Concentration Becomes a Strategy
Most investors are taught to diversify broadly. Buffett does the opposite. The top 10 holdings in his portfolio account for over 82% of all stock investments, with a clear hierarchy that reveals his investment priorities.
Apple dominates at $75.9 billion (24.2% of the portfolio), followed by American Express at $54.6 billion and Bank of America at $32.2 billion. Three stocks alone represent more than half the entire portfolio. Then comes Coca-Cola ($27.6B), Chevron ($18.8B), Moody’s ($11.8B), Occidental Petroleum ($10.9B), and positions in Japanese conglomerates Mitsubishi ($9.3B) and Itochu ($7.8B).
What’s notable is how long Buffett has held some of these names. American Express and Coca-Cola have been Berkshire Hathaway staples for decades, embodying his core belief: finding excellent companies and holding them through multiple market cycles can compound wealth exponentially.
The Middle Layer: Smaller Bets With Big Names
Below the heavyweight holdings sits a tier of 14 companies representing about 14.8% of the portfolio. These positions reveal another dimension of Buffett’s strategy—selective exposure to growth areas and emerging opportunities.
Insurance specialist Chubb Limited ($7.5B), trading company Mitsui ($7.2B), and healthcare provider DaVita ($3.9B) sit alongside financial payments firms Visa and Mastercard (both around $2.2B each). Amazon appears here too, a stock Buffett initially regretted missing, though his investment team eventually bought it as a smaller position. Recent additions include UnitedHealth Group, purchased after a market stumble earlier in 2025.
This layer shows Buffett’s willingness to evolve—Chubb was added in 2023, signaling continued appetite for quality businesses even as markets shift.
The Tail: Where Capital Still Matters
The remaining 22 positions make up just 3% of holdings but still represent nearly $10 billion collectively. From Domino’s Pizza ($1.1B) to Charter Communications ($0.2B) to smaller stakes in luxury brands like Diageo, these reflect opportunistic bets and positions being wound down or held for specific reasons.
Pool Corp, Nucor, Lennar, and Aon PLC each represent targeted plays in their respective sectors. Even fractional billion-dollar positions matter when managing this much capital.
The Elephant in the Room: $344 Billion in Cash
Here’s what demands serious attention: Berkshire Hathaway is sitting on $344.1 billion in cash. That’s more than the entire value of its stock portfolio and enough to acquire most Fortune 500 companies outright.
Buffett’s decades-long reputation rests partly on discipline—waiting for the right price, refusing to overpay, and preserving optionality. The cash buildup over recent years likely reflects his view that many stocks don’t represent adequate value at current levels. But it also raises questions: Is this patience or missed opportunity?
When you’re managing hundreds of billions, risk management absolutely matters. But investors will likely spend years analyzing whether those trillions in cash sitting idle, earning less than reinvested returns could generate, represented peak caution or peak error.
What This Portfolio Reveals About Warren Buffett’s Investment Philosophy
The composition of Berkshire Hathaway’s holdings isn’t random. It reveals an investor who:
The Bottom Line
As a new era dawns at Berkshire Hathaway, the portfolio itself stands as Buffett’s most detailed investment thesis. Whether future analysts view his recent cash accumulation as prescient or cautious remains to be seen. For now, the 46 stocks in this portfolio—anchored by Apple, American Express, and Bank of America—represent the distilled wisdom of investing’s greatest practitioner.
The question Warren Buffett’s successors will face: maintain the strategy or deploy that $344 billion?