5 Warren Buffett Stocks He's Likely In for the Long Term

Warren Buffett has a clear investing mantra: He likes value, and he likes holding on for the long term.

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Warren Buffett has a clear investing mantra: He likes value, and he likes holding on for the long term. The tactic has worked out well. Since Buffett took the reins of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) in 1964, through the end of 2018, his stock has delivered an annual return of 20.5% that more than doubled the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index.

Indeed, as the Oracle of Omaha famously told investors, his favorite investing period is “forever.” This message reappeared in the hedge fund guru’s most recent annual letter. In describing the fund’s current portfolio of stocks, Buffett wrote, “In all likelihood, we will hold most of these stocks for a long time.”

The 88-year old continued, “My expectation of more stock purchases is not a market call. Charlie and I have no idea as to how stocks will behave next week or next year. Predictions of that sort have never been a part of our activities. Our thinking, rather, is focused on calculating whether a portion of an attractive business is worth more than its market price.”

That said, times change, and so do investing theses. Buffett has exited positions before, and will continue doing so when it makes sense – sometimes very quickly. For instance, Berkshire recently announced that it had exited its position in Oracle (ORCL) during the fourth quarter – a position it had initiated just one quarter earlier! That’s an exception to the norm, but the point is some Buffett stocks are destined to be around longer than others.

With this in mind, we delved into Berkshire’s portfolio and found five Warren Buffett stocks that seem likely to stick around for the long term.

Disclaimer

Data is as of March 17.

Harriet Lefton
Contributing Writer, Kiplinger.com
Harriet Lefton, originally from the U.K., began her career as a journalist specializing in the niche world of metal markets. She graduated from the University of Cambridge before becoming a qualified U.K. lawyer. Now she has turned her attention to the world of financial blogging, covering U.S. stocks, analysts and all manner of things finance-related.