2 No-Brainer Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy Right Now

Key Points

• Warren Buffett's investing principles, built on patience, quality, and a long-term outlook, are the keys to success.

• Despite short-term headwinds from tariffs, Amazon's long-term outlook is strong.

• Berkshire Hathaway stands out for its financial stability and reliable cash generation.

• 10 stocks we like better than Amazon ›

Warren Buffett's legendary approach to investing centers on patience, quality businesses, and long-term growth. For investors seeking reliable opportunities amid market uncertainty, two of his favorites -- Amazon and his own Berkshire Hathaway -- stand out right now for their resilience and potential.

1. Amazon

Tariff concerns have made some investors wary of Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) compared to its big tech rivals, but I think this fear is overblown. Yes, trade tensions could hurt Amazon's business, but any disruptions would more than likely be temporary.

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Its e-commerce business remains incredibly resilient, with a moat few companies in history have enjoyed. It's hard to overstate how ingrained the company is in the daily lives of consumers around the world. But while retail drives the lion's share of revenue, it's Amazon's efforts in artificial intelligence (AI) that are truly impressive from a growth perspective.

The company's subsidiary, Amazon Web Services (AWS), is the world's largest cloud provider and has been investing heavily in AI-specific hardware to meet the enormous and growing demand for computing power. Spurred on by AI model computation, AWS revenue jumped 17% year over year in the first quarter.

Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy recently drove home the potential, saying in an earnings call: "Before this generation of AI, we thought AWS had the chance to ultimately be a multi hundred-billion-dollar revenue run rate business. We now think it could be even larger."

Amazon also has direct ambitions with the technology, backing Anthropic, one of the most prominent AI companies vying for market dominance. Anthropic's AI assistant Claude is one of the few models to consistently rival OpenAI's offerings. Since AWS serves as Anthropic's primary cloud provider, Amazon essentially enjoys a discount on its investment in the company.

Amazon has other AI initiatives in the works, like its robotaxi and autonomous driving play, Zoox. But perhaps the biggest winner from all of its AI investments could end up being its core e-commerce business. The technology can help drive major growth in its bottom line by boosting logistical efficiency and cutting fulfillment costs through advanced robotics.

Amazon's enormous investments in AI set it up to drive growth well into the future across its wide-ranging business segments. While short-term trade concerns may create temporary headwinds, the company's AI transformation story is just getting started.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

2. Berkshire Hathaway

Many investors seek stability in today's market. Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B), Buffett's legendary company, offers exactly that.

Its huge cash reserve of more than $300 billion -- more than some countries' entire gross domestic product -- serves as an incredible hedge if the economy turns south. This war chest will allow Berkshire not just to survive, but to thrive in a major market downturn.

That's exactly what happened during the Great Financial Crisis in 2008. Take Buffett's move with the then-struggling Bank of America: He turned a $5 billion investment into an on-paper profit of $12 billion in just a few years by buying when others were selling.

Berkshire's diverse portfolio of businesses delivers healthy cash flow. Its premier insurance operation, GEICO, is seeing its profitability spike. It delivered nearly $8 billion in pretax profit in 2024 -- nearly as much as the previous five years combined.

The insurance float, or the money Berkshire's companies hold from policyholders before paying claims, essentially gives the company an interest-free loan with which to invest. Combined with wholly owned businesses ranging from railroads to utilities, the conglomerate has multiple engines generating cash for the company's next big opportunity.

Lastly, addressing the succession elephant in the room: Concerns about Buffett's eventual departure are overblown, in my opinion. His chosen successor, Greg Abel, has been mentored by him for years and understands the company's patient, value-focused approach to investing.

Amazon and Berkshire are both solid picks

With Amazon's AI-powered transformation and Berkshire Hathaway's fortresslike stability, these stocks are great options. For those aiming to build lasting wealth the Buffett (and the Foolish) way, both look like no-brainer buys to consider today.

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Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Bank of America, and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.