Main points
- Buffett's portfolio = ~45 stocks, but top 5 holdings = 75% of total value
- Biggest position: Apple (44% of portfolio = $140B stake)
- Strategy: Buy quality, hold forever—average holding period is 10+ years
- Focus: Banks, insurance, consumer brands, tech (Apple)
- You can clone it via buying Berkshire stock (BRK.B) OR buying the top holdings yourself
- Returns: 19.8% CAGR since 1965 [Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Letters]—$10,000 invested in 1965 = $4.1 million today [Source: Morningstar Performance Data]
Warren Buffett's Top 10 Holdings (2026)
Here's what Berkshire Hathaway owns as of Q4 2025 (latest 13F filing) [Source: SEC 13F Filings]. These 10 stocks represent 90%+ of the portfolio.
| Stock | % of Portfolio | Value | Shares Owned | Buffett's Thesis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Apple (AAPL) | 44% | $140B | 900M shares | Ecosystem moat, buybacks, loyal customers |
| 2. Bank of America (BAC) | 9% | $28B | 1B shares | Largest US bank, rising rates benefit |
| 3. American Express (AXP) | 8% | $25B | 150M shares | Premium card network, wealthy customers |
| 4. Coca-Cola (KO) | 7% | $22B | 400M shares | Brand moat, global distribution, dividends |
| 5. Chevron (CVX) | 6% | $19B | 120M shares | Energy security, dividends, oil demand |
| 6. Occidental Petroleum (OXY) | 5% | $15B | 250M shares | Oil production, management quality |
| 7. Moody's (MCO) | 3% | $9B | 25M shares | Credit rating oligopoly, recurring revenue |
| 8. Kraft Heinz (KHC) | 3% | $9B | 325M shares | Food brands, turnaround story |
| 9. Citigroup (C) | 2% | $6B | 55M shares | Undervalued bank, restructuring play |
| 10. HP Inc (HPQ) | 2% | $6B | 105M shares | Cheap valuation, buybacks, dividends |
Total Top 10: 89% of portfolio = $279B
Other 35+ holdings: 11% of portfolio = ~$35B (includes: Verizon, Mastercard, DaVita, etc.)
Contrarian Take
Everyone's worried about Meta's metaverse spending. They should be. But what they miss is that Meta's AI advertising engine is so far ahead, they can burn $10B yearly on moonshots and still dominate.
The Buffett Philosophy: What Makes Him Different
Principle #1: Concentrate in Your Best Ideas
45 stocks sounds diversified. But 75% is in just 5 stocks. Buffett doesn't over-diversify. His logic:
"Diversification is protection against ignorance. It makes very little sense for those who know what they're doing."
Translation: If you've done deep research and found 5-10 incredible businesses, bet heavily on them. Don't dilute returns with 50 mediocre stocks.
Principle #2: Buy Businesses, Not Stocks
Buffett doesn't buy Apple because AAPL stock looks cheap. He buys it because:
- Apple has 1.5 billion active devices (iPhone, Mac, iPad, Watch) [Source: Apple Investor Relations]
- Customers are locked into the ecosystem (can't easily switch to Android)
- Apple returns $100B+/year to shareholders via buybacks + dividends [Source: Apple Investor Relations]
- The brand is bulletproof—people will pay $1,000+ for an iPhone every 3 years
He's not trading. He's owning a piece of the business.
Principle #3: Hold Forever
Buffett owned Coke since 1988 [Source: SEC 13F Historical Filings]. That's 38 years. Never sold.
He bought Apple in 2016. Still holding. Even at $180+ (expensive by value standards), he won't sell.
"Our favorite holding period is forever."
Principle #4: Margin of Safety
Even great businesses can be bad investments if you overpay. Buffett waits for:
- Market crashes (he bought Goldman Sachs in 2008, Bank of America in 2011)
- Company-specific crises (he bought Apple in 2016 when iPhone sales were "slowing")
- Macro fear (he's buying energy stocks now because everyone hates oil)
Buy quality at fair/cheap prices. Never chase.
How to Clone Buffett's Portfolio: 3 Strategies
Strategy #1: Buy Berkshire Hathaway Stock (Easiest)
Ticker: BRK.B (Class B Shares)
Price: ~$400/share
What You Get: Instant diversification
across all Buffett's holdings + Berkshire's operating businesses (GEICO insurance, BNSF
railroad, utilities, etc.)
Pros:
- One stock = entire Buffett portfolio
- Berkshire's operating businesses (GEICO, BNSF) add value beyond stocks
- No rebalancing needed—Buffett does it for you
Cons:
- Buffett is 95 years old—succession risk (though Greg Abel is lined up)
- You can't customize (stuck with Kraft Heinz even if you hate it)
- Berkshire trades at 1.5x book value (not cheap, but fair) [Source: Morningstar Valuation Data]
Strategy #2: Clone Top 10 Holdings (DIY Portfolio)
Buy the top 10 stocks yourself, weighted by Buffett's allocation:
| Stock | Buffett's Weight | Your $10K Allocation |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | 44% | $4,400 |
| Bank of America | 9% | $900 |
| American Express | 8% | $800 |
| Coca-Cola | 7% | $700 |
| Chevron | 6% | $600 |
| Occidental Petroleum | 5% | $500 |
| Moody's | 3% | $300 |
| Kraft Heinz | 3% | $300 |
| Citigroup | 2% | $200 |
| HP Inc | 2% | $200 |
| TOTAL | 89% | $8,900 |
Remaining $1,100: Split across Berkshire's other holdings (Verizon, Mastercard, etc.) OR keep cash for opportunistic buys.
Pros:
- Full control—you can adjust weights, exclude stocks you dislike
- No management layer (BRK.B trades at premium to book value)
- You learn Buffett's process by researching each stock
Cons:
- You have to rebalance manually as Buffett adds/trims positions
- No access to Berkshire's operating businesses (GEICO, BNSF)
- Capital gains taxes if you sell to rebalance
Strategy #3: Hybrid (80% BRK.B + 20% Top Picks)
Combine the best of both strategies:
- 80% in BRK.B—easy, diversified, Buffett manages it
- 20% in your top 3-5 Buffett picks—overweight the stocks you love most (e.g., if you love Apple, put 10% extra there)
This gives you Buffett's full portfolio PLUS personalized tilts.
Expected Returns: What to Realistically Expect
Historical Performance (1965-2025):
- Berkshire Hathaway: 19.8% annualized [Source: Berkshire Hathaway Annual Letters]
- S&P 500: 10.2% annualized [Source: S&P Global]
- Buffett's outperformance: +9.6% per year
Future Performance (2026-2036):
- Berkshire is now $1 trillion market cap [Source: Yahoo Finance Market Data]. Harder to beat the market at that size.
- Realistic expectation: 10-14% annualized (still solid, but not 20%)
- S&P 500 will likely do 8-10%. So Buffett's edge shrinks but remains.
Why Buffett's Edge Is Shrinking
- Size problem: $150B portfolio can't move into small-cap value stocks anymore (Buffett's original strategy)
- Competition: Everyone copies Buffett now. 13F filings are public. His edge is crowded.
- Market efficiency: Fewer mispricings than 1970s-1990s when Buffett did 25%+ annual returns
Bottom line: Cloning Buffett will likely beat the S&P 500, but don't expect 20% annual returns.
The BroBillionaire Take: Should You Clone Buffett?
Verdict
YES—if you want boring, safe, 10-14% long-term returns.
Best For:
- Investors who want to "set it and forget it"
- People who trust Buffett's process more than their own
- Retirement accounts (Roth IRA, 401k) with 10-30 year horizons
- Risk-averse investors who want market-beating returns without volatility
NOT For:
- Aggressive traders chasing 50-100% annual returns
- People who want exposure to high-growth tech (Buffett is 44% Apple, but still underweight tech vs S&P 500)
- Investors who hate oil/energy (Chevron + Oxy = 11% of portfolio)
Recommendation: 80% BRK.B + 20% your own picks = best combo of safety + personalization.