10 Best Stocks to Buy According to Bill Gates

2. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-B)

Stake Value as of Q4 2024: $8,909,229,279

Headquartered in Omaha, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-B) is a holding company that owns subsidiaries engaged in a number of diverse business activities. The most important of these is the property and casualty insurance business conducted on both a direct and reinsurance basis through a number of subsidiaries.

Shares of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-B) closed at an all-time high of $499.82 on February 25th after the Warren Buffett-led conglomerate reported a stellar performance in 2024. Berkshire’s operating earnings from its 180 operating businesses skyrocketed 71% to $14.53 in the final three months of 2024. This was led by a whopping 302% YoY surge in insurance underwriting to $3.409 billion. Full-year operating profit also rose 27% to $47.44 billion, setting a new record.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-B) ended the year sitting on a record cash pile of $334.2 billion, up from $325.2 billion at the end of the third quarter. The firm’s cash doubled last year as it reduced 62% of its holdings in Apple and one-third of its stake in Bank of America. The company also bought back $2.9 billion worth of shares in 2024, but hasn’t conducted any share repurchases since last May. Berkshire does not pay dividends, as it believes that re-investing its revenues rather than paying percentages out to its clients has yielded far larger returns.