Berkshire Hathaway Near 52-Week High
November 2, 2014 by Paul Ausick
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.
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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.
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