Berkshire Hathaway Near 52-Week High

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By Paul Ausick Updated Published

Warren Buffett

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Shares of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) closed at $210,000 per share on Friday, less than 2% below the stock’s 52-week high. Combined, just the top 10 stocks in Berkshire’s portfolio have gained about $920 million in a little over two months. Here is a quick look at how the Oracle of Omaha’s top 10 holdings have performed recently.

Well Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) is Berkshire’s top stock holding. Buffett and company own 8.9% of the outstanding shares of Wells Fargo, a stake worth $24.6 billion at Friday’s closing price. That marks a gain of $1.2 billion since late August. Wells Fargo’s shares are up 17% in the past year.

Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) is Berkshire’s second-largest holding at 9.12% of the outstanding stock. At Friday’s closing price, Berkshire’s stake is worth about $16.7 billion, down from a value of $16.9 billion in August. Coke’s shares have gained 1.4% in the past 12 months.

Berkshire owns 14.49% of the outstanding stock in American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP). The value of that stake at Friday’s closing price is about $13.6 billion, down $800 million since August. Amex’s shares are down 0.9% in the past 12 months.

Berkshire’s big disappointment this year has to be International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM), which is down 12.35% for the past 12 months. Berkshire owns 7.03% of the outstanding stock, and at Friday’s closing price that stake is valued at about $11.4 billion, a sharp drop from the $12.7 billion valuation in August.

ALSO READ: Microsoft Nears 52-Week High

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is another Berkshire investment that is down over the past 12 months. Shares have lost 3% in the past 12 months, and Berkshire’s 1.82% stake has actually risen slightly in value from $4.4 billion to $4.47 billion since August.

Berkshire owns a 1.95% stake in Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) that was worth $4.1 billion in August. At Friday’s closing price, Berkshire’s stake is valued at $4.6 billion. P&G’s stock is up 7.2% for the past 12 months.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) has dropped 4.4% from its stock price of 12 months ago. Berkshire’s 0.96% stake in the oil and gas giant is worth $3.96 billion, down from $4.1 billion in August.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) has posted a 12-month gain of 5.5% in its share price. Berkshire holds a 4.44% stake in the company, which is worth $3.4 billion at Friday’s closing price. That marks a gain of $900 million since August.

Berkshire holds a stake of 11.68% in Moody’s Corp. (NYSE: MCO) and the stock has been the top performer of Buffett’s top 10 holdings, up 26.5% for the year. At Friday’s closing price, Berkshire’s stake is valued at $2.4 billion, up from $2.2 billion in August.

Berkshire’s stake in Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) has gained 7.2% in the past 12 months. Buffett owns 2.87% of the Goldman’s stock, worth nearly $2.5 billion at Friday’s closing price. In late August the stake was worth about $2.1 billion.

ALSO READ: Buffett Drives the Gravy Train for Public Auto Dealership Sector

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About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

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