Warren Buffett sells his last Walmart shares after 20 years (2024)

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Warren Buffett sells his last Walmart shares after 20 years? ›

World's third richest person Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway has sold its last Walmart shares, ending a relationship of over 20 years. The world's largest retailer was once among Berkshire's five biggest equity holdings as recently as 2014, valued at over $5 billion.

Berkshire Hathaway's Walmart Stake

The first Walmart trade was made in Q4 1998. Since then Warren Buffett bought shares thirteen more times and sold shares on ten occasions. The investor completely sold their stake between Q3 2015 and Q3 2018.

Warren Buffett bought more than $1 billion in shares of the Coca-Cola Company (KO) in 1988, an amount that was then equivalent to 6.2% of the company. The purchase made it the single largest position in Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Jim Walton owns the most shares of Walmart (WMT). The ownership structure can impact the company's decision making, as large institutional investors may exert influence on the company's management and can also affect the company's stock price with their buying and selling patterns.

George Soros Walmart Inc

The first Walmart trade was made in Q1 2000. Since then George Soros bought shares nine more times and sold shares on fifteen occasions.

Apple is Berkshire's largest public stock holding by far. Berkshire's $151 billion Apple stake is roughly four times larger than its second-largest holding. Buffett first bought Apple shares in the first quarter of 2016, and Apple's stock price is up more than 500% since the beginning of 2016.

Top Warren Buffett Stocks By Size

Bank of America (BAC), 1.03 billion. Apple (AAPL), 789.4 million. Coca-Cola (KO), 400 million. Kraft Heinz (KHC), 325.6 million.

Buffett also added that it's “extremely likely” that Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) would be Berkshire's “largest holding” by the end of 2024. That means Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is the top favorite stock of Warren Buffett, for now.

What is the best stock of all time? ›

Over 30 years ago, Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, made his first purchase of silver in anticipation of the metal's demonetization by the U.S. Government. Since that time he has followed silver's fundamentals but no entity he manages has owned it.

One of the most important Warren Buffett quotes on investing that you can take in is, "If you aren't willing to own a stock for 10 years, don't even think about owning it for 10 minutes."

You would have more than doubled your money, with a total investment worth of $2,029.55. That's a 103% return, or a 7.23% annual rate of return. Interestingly, despite co*ke's dominance on the world stage, investing in co*ke's main rival, Pepsi, 10 years ago would have given you more pop for your buck.

Warren Buffett's holding company, Berkshire, has been one of Apple's biggest backers. It owns a 5.9% stake, ranking behind only Vanguard Group, which holds 8.1% through its many mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, according to FactSet.

In addition to Visa, Warren Buffett also enjoys dividends from Chevron Corp (NYSE:CVX), Coca-Cola Co (NYSE:KO) and American Express Company (NYSE:AXP). In its October 2023 investor letter, Lakehouse Capital stated the following regarding Visa Inc. (NYSE:V):

Given the prospect that Walmart may continue to buy back shares, the Walton family has informed Walmart that it currently expects to sell Walmart shares from time to time in order to help offset possible further increases in its ownership percentage and to help fund charitable contributions.

What Is Berkshire Hathaway? Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company for a multitude of businesses, including GEICO and Fruit of the Loom. It's run by chair and CEO Warren Buffett.

Warren Buffett acquired 10 Million Amazon.com shares worth $1.87 Billion. That's 0.54% of their equity portfolio (15th largest holding). Warren Buffett started to build up the position in Amazon.com in Q1 2019 and continued to invest until Q2 2019. Since then they sold 746 Thousand shares.