In this piece, we will go through the 12 Best Warren Buffett Stocks to Invest in Now.
Discussions of Buffett’s best stock picks often highlight the billionaire’s view on market caution, his investment philosophy, and Berkshire Hathaway’s six-decade evolution.
While Buffett still serves as the chairman of the board, he is no longer the CEO of the conglomerate, having retired on December 31, 2025. Longtime deputy Greg Abel took over as CEO on January 1, 2026, following the billionaire’s retirement.
As reported by Forbes on April 19, 2026, the Buffett indicator surged to 232% after the S&P 500’s sharp rebound following a selloff tied to the Iran war. The indicator, a measure that compares total U.S. stock market value to GDP, raises concerns about stretched valuations despite the recent rebound and prior sell-off.
Here is what he says about the indicator:
“The message of the chart is that if the relationship [between the total value of equities and GDP] drops to 70% or 80%, buying stocks is likely to work out very well for you. If it approaches 200% as it did in 1999 and 2000, you are playing with fire.”
Thus, Buffett-linked investing often becomes especially relevant when valuations appear stretched.
Buffett’s strategy is reflected in how he built his fortune: through long-term, disciplined value investing, acquiring businesses with strong fundamentals at attractive prices, holding them for the long term, and allowing compounding to do the rest. With most of his wealth created later in life, the billionaire remains a symbol of patience.
Despite the billionaire’s strong reputation, his investment style has its critics.
Tesla’s Elon Musk said in 2024 that he was not a big fan of his investment philosophy, which seemed “boring” to him. The SpaceX founder is the world’s richest man, with a net worth of $824.3 billion as of April 1, 2026. He is likely to become the first person to surpass the $1 trillion mark, with an IPO offering valuing SpaceX at $1.75 trillion (listing valuation), according to Forbes.
Meanwhile, in his parting note, Buffett expressed confidence in successor Greg Abel and reaffirmed that Berkshire remains centered on caution, quality, and financial strength. In doing so, he reinforced the appeal of his investment style, which features discipline, durability, and capital preservation and requires great patience and resilience.
With that background in mind, let’s jump to our list of the best Warren Buffett stocks to invest in now.
Our Methodology
For this article, we scanned Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio and selected its 12 largest holdings as of the fourth quarter of 2025. Our list is presented in ascending order based on the conglomerate’s percentage holding in each stock.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 498.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 303 percentage points (see more details here).
12. The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)
The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is among the best Warren Buffett stocks.
Buffett added The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) to his portfolio in 2019, with the initial stake comprising 18.94 million shares ($549 million), making the stock Warren Buffett’s 35th biggest holding as of Q4 2019. Berkshire now owns 50 million shares worth $3.12 billion as of the fourth quarter of 2025, reflecting Buffett’s increased confidence in the company’s growth story.
Other hedge funds also remain bullish on The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR). As of Q4 2025, 49 hedge funds hold the stock, with the combined hedge fund stake totaling $4.80 billion.
That bullish sentiment reflects strength in areas such as cost discipline, value positioning, and digital execution.
Last year, after the company’s proposed merger with Albertsons collapsed, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) focused on resetting its cost base, including corporate layoffs and the planned closure of underperforming stores. At the same time, it reinvested capital into lower prices, new locations, and store-level jobs.
As of April 20, 2026, the stock has been up over 9% in 2026 so far, after declining over 1% over the past six months. The Grocery Stores industry is up 1.7% (YTD) and down roughly 15% (6M), reflecting Kroger’s slight outperformance compared to its peers.
The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) has been refining its e-commerce model by shutting down underperforming automated facilities and shifting toward a hybrid model that uses stores as fulfillment centers, alongside Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats, to reduce last-mile costs and improve delivery speed.
With these moves, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) aims to simplify the organization and shift resources toward customer-facing priorities.
Amid those efforts, the company’s underlying operating resilience remained intact in 2025 despite a pressured consumer environment.
In the third quarter of 2025, identical sales excluding fuel increased 2.6% while adjusted earnings per share of $1.05 exceeded expectations. Meanwhile, in the fourth quarter reported in March 2026, digital sales grew 20%, and adjusted earnings per share of $1.28 came in above expectations.
Looking ahead, under new CEO Greg Foran, The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is sharpening its focus on affordable fresh offerings, sharper everyday pricing, and improved service to drive improvements in traffic, basket size, and the company’s market share.
The following reflects what the company’s newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Greg Foran, shared regarding the company’s outlook during the March 26, 2026, earnings call:
“The team has done excellent work, particularly over the past year to strengthen the business. And my focus is on how we operationalize our strategy to make us even better. It starts with the top line. We need to grow sales faster. And in my experience, that comes down to giving customers a compelling reason to shop with you by offering great value, great products and a great experience.”
He further added:
“Price is an important part of that equation. Customers need to trust that they’re getting a fair deal every time they walk into our stores. We’ve made progress on price, and I want to keep pushing by pulling unproductive costs out of the business, investing in everyday value, sharpening our promotions and making sure customers see and feel the difference when they shop with us.”
The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is one of the largest U.S. grocery retailers, operating supermarkets, multi-department stores, and convenience stores. It offers food, pharmacy, and household products, emphasizing private-label brands, digital shopping, and customer loyalty programs across its extensive retail network.
11. DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA)
DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) is included in our list of the best Warren Buffett stocks.
Buffett added DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) to his portfolio in 2011, purchasing 5.37 million shares worth $203.51 million, which made the stock Warren Buffett’s 20th biggest holding as of Q4 2011. Berkshire’s investment in the stock has grown to $3.61 billion as of Q4 2025, representing approximately 32 million shares.
DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) also enjoys the confidence of other hedge funds, with 40 hedge funds remaining bullish on the stock. The combined hedge fund stake in the company totals $4.39 billion as of Q4 2025.
DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA)’s bullish case is supported by stable profitability, clinical differentiation, and orderly capital allocation, even as treatment volumes continue to face pressure. As of April 20, 2026, the stock has significantly outperformed its peers in 2026, with shares up more than 30%, compared with a 2.8% gain for the Medical Care Facilities industry. That reflects the stock’s resurgence from the 52-week low it hit earlier in the year.
In 2025, DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) reported $13.64 billion in consolidated revenue, $2.09 billion in adjusted operating income, and more than $1 billion in free cash flow, highlighting the resilience of its core U.S. dialysis business, despite a 1.1% decline in treatments.
A key driver of optimism is DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA)’s integrated kidney care platform, which achieved profitability in 2025, earlier than management anticipated.
Executives noted that IKC patients demonstrate better outcomes compared to the broader dialysis population, including reduced hospitalization rates, fewer infections, stronger adherence, higher vaccination rates, and lower dialysis costs. This reinforces the view that the company’s value-based care model is both clinically effective and financially stable.
Management also outlined a credible path toward improving long-term treatment volumes through clinical initiatives, such as higher vaccination rates, GLP-1 adoption, advanced dialysis technologies, and its strategic investment in Elara Caring, announced in February.
While the full impact of these efforts may take time to materialize, management is confident that they can help drive approximately 2% volume growth over time.
Coupled with ongoing share buybacks and consistent free cash flow generation, the company continues to stand out as a defensive, cash-generative business, with additional upside tied to the successful execution of its clinical strategy.
DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) is a healthcare company that caters to the needs of kidney patients.