Here's What Warren Buffett's Company Dumped Late Last Year -- and What It Bought Instead.
Key Points
Apple has been a huge wealth builder not only for gobs of small investors, but also for Berkshire Hathaway.
Chevron is a very diversified energy company, offering a fat dividend too.
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Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB), the company Warren Buffett built, is now headed by his able successor, Greg Abel. But Buffett remains very much involved, and investors still like to see which stocks are being added to Berkshire's massive stock portfolio and which stocks are being shed. (Berkshire is a conglomerate of scores of disparate wholly owned businesses as well as a holder of stocks.)
Here's a look at a recent major sale and a recent major purchase.
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Bye-bye, Apple (sort of)
In its most recent reported quarter, Berkshire Hathaway's largest sale, by value, was Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). That doesn't necessarily mean that Apple is out of favor. It might simply be a rebalancing, as the Apple position is still huge -- and still Berkshire's No. 1 stock holding. Berkshire bought about $35 billion worth of stock a decade ago, and it grew to be worth some $185 billion.
Apple itself is undergoing a change at the top, as CEO Tim Cook steps down in a few months, handing the reins to John Ternus. CFO Kevan Parekh recently mentioned that Apple may become more active in acquisitions.
Meanwhile, Apple is still growing, with revenue rising 17% year over year in the second quarter, services revenue rising 16%, and Greater China revenue popping by 28%. Profit margins, too, grew.
Hello, Chevron
Meanwhile, Berkshire's largest purchase was energy giant Chevron (NYSE: CVX). Chevron is now the fifth-largest stock holding, with Berkshire owning about 6.5% of the whole company. One reason Buffett and, presumably, Abel might like Chevron is its solid dividend yield, recently 3.7%, which has been complemented by stock buybacks that also reward shareholders.
Chevron is vertically integrated, meaning its operations span a wide range of energy operations, from drilling to refining to transporting and storing. That can help it suffer less during economic downturns.
If you're in the market for an addition to your long-term portfolio, either stock could serve you well.
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Selena Maranjian has positions in Apple and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, and Chevron. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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