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5 Best Long-Term Stocks to Buy Now According to Warren Buffett

In this article, we will discuss: 5 Best Long-Term Stocks to Buy Now According to Warren Buffett. For more stocks, you can head to 10 Best Long-Term Stocks to Buy Now According to Warren Buffett

5. VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 54

First Appeared In 13F Holdings: Q2 2012

Latest Stake: $2.2 billion 

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) is an internet company that enables domain name registry and provides other services. Its shares are down by 11.5% over the past year and are up by 6.3% year-to-date. Berkshire first disclosed a stake in the firm in Q2 2012, according to Insider Monkey’s data. This stake came courtesy of 3.7 million shares that were worth $143 million. The number of shares gradually grew to 12.9 million in the second quarter of 2014. They remained at this level until Q1 2020, when they experienced a slight increase. Currently, the number of shares has dropped to 8.9 million, and they are worth $2.2 billion.

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN)’s first-quarter earnings report saw the firm post a strong set of results. The firm delivered $2.34 in adjusted earnings per share and $429 million in revenue to beat analyst estimates of $2.30 and $402 million. As part of the release, VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN)’s management increased its full-year guidance for revenue to $1.730 billion and $1.745 billion from an earlier $1.715 billion and $1.735 billion range.

Diamond Hill Mid Strategy mentioned VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) and Berkshire in its fourth quarter 2025 investor letter:

“Shares of internet infrastructure provider VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN) declined after Berkshire Hathaway reduced its stake in the company earlier in 2025, a move driven by regulatory considerations rather than company fundamentals. Despite near-term pressure, the company continues to benefit from high customer switching costs, proprietary technology, US government support and disciplined capital allocation.”

4. DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA)

Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 52

First Appeared In 13F Holdings: Q4 2011

Latest Stake: $4.6 billion 

DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA) is a healthcare company that caters to the needs of people suffering from kidney ailments. Another long-term Warren Buffet stock pick, Berkshire first disclosed a stake in the firm in the fourth quarter of 2011. Back then, the firm disclosed holding 5.3 million shares that were worth $203 million. The number of shares jumped considerably by the next quarter, when Berkshire held 12 million shares that were worth $541 million. By Q4 2014, Warren Buffett’s firm had held 38.6 million shares and was stuck at this level until Q4 2019. As of the first quarter of 2026, Berkshire disclosed holding 30 million shares that were worth $4.6 billion.

Deutsche Bank discussed DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA)’s shares on May 6th when it bumped the rating to Buy from Hold and raised the share price target to $220 from $216. The coverage followed the firm’s first quarter earnings, which saw it post $417.59 in revenue per treatment to beat analyst estimates. During the quarter, DaVita Inc. (NYSE:DVA)’s operating income was $482 million.

3. Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO)

Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 95

First Appeared In 13F Holdings: Q4 2010

Latest Stake: $10.7 billion

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is one of the largest ratings agencies in the world. Berkshire Hathaway disclosed holding 28.4 million shares of the firm in Q4 2010. Back then, these shares were worth $754 million. By Q4 2013, the number of shares had dipped to 24.6 million, and it has stood there since then. In Q4 2013, the shares were worth $1.9 billion, and the same amount is now worth a whopping $10.7 billion courtesy of a $473 average share price.

Mizuho discussed Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO)’s shares on April 27th. It reduced the share price target to $521 from $524 and kept a Neutral rating on the stock. Mizuho’s coverage came after Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) reported its first-quarter earnings. As part of the results, the ratings agency posted $2.1 billion in revenue and $4.33 in earnings per share, both of which beat analyst estimates. BMO discussed Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO)’s AI implementation and expressed optimism about its ability to help with data management. Consequently, the firm bumped the share price target to $489 from $463 and kept a Market Perform rating on the stock.

2. The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 76

First Appeared In 13F Holdings: Q4 2010

Latest Stake: $30.4 billion

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) is perhaps one of Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway’s best-known investments. While 13F filing data shows Q4 2010 as the earliest date of disclosure, Buffett first bought the shares in 1988. While the Oracle of Omaha dabbled with the shares and his holdings wildly fluctuated in the early 2000s, he found some stability since 201. In Q4 2010, Berkshire Hathaway disclosed holding 400 million shares that were worth $13.1 billion. The figure doubled to 800 million in Q2 2012, but returned to 400 million in the next quarter and has stood at that level since then. As of Q1, the shares are worth $30.4 billion.

Earlier this month, Morgan Stanley discussed The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)’s shares. It reiterated an Overweight rating and called the stock a top pick in the US beverages sector. The bank remarked that The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)’s Fairlife sales had grown in the US due to capacity additions. It added that the beverage company also had stronger pricing power compared to its rivals.

In a Mad Money appearance on June 10th, CNBC’s Jim Cramer also discussed The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO):

“Now, get this, this is one, this is what I’m talking, I’m trying to, see, I gotta get this point through because this is not what we usually do here, but sometimes the market’s bad… Coca-Cola. Okay, now, I don’t drink Coca-Cola… But it was pushed down hard. It’s been going down, down. And then, since this market got bad, it has been nothing but net. It rallied nearly 3% today. Under the previous CEO, James Quincey, whom I love, the company reignited its growth. His successor, Henrique Braun, he’s continuing the ignition. This is a quintessential defensive stock. New high. You know what? You can probably continue to buy Coca-Cola tomorrow morning if the S&P’s down. I want you to reach for Coca-Cola and then just keep buying. I’m not kidding. This was quite a testament to how good the stock’s doing and how great the company is.”

1. American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)

Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 83

First Appeared In 13F Holdings: Q4 2010

Latest Stake: $45.8 billion

Payment card and travel services provider American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) is perhaps Warren Buffett’s best-known stock pick. He first bought the shares in 1964 when the firm’s shares sank during the Salad Oil Scandal. Buffett then bought a stake in 1991 and continued in the 1990s. However, since then, it hasn’t done much with the stock. In Q4 2010, according to Insider Monkey’s data, Berkshire Hathaway held 151 million American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) shares that were worth $6.5 billion. It still holds the same number of shares, and the stake’s latest value is $45.8 billion.

DBZ Bank discussed the firm on June 18th as it upgraded the shares to Buy from Hold and set a $375 share price target. American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)’s latest earnings report saw it report $18.91 billion in revenue, $3 billion in net income, and $4.28 in earnings per share. During the earnings call, the firm’s Chief Financial Officer Christophe Le Caillec outlined that its earnings were stronger than expected and gave it room to spend in marketing and technology.

Giverny Capital Asset Management discussed American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:

“We used most of our Ametek proceeds to establish a new position in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) in March, at a price of $294. Probably many of you hold at least one American Express card. It’s one of the premier status brands in the world, with a customer base of prime borrowers who often pay hundreds of dollars a year for the privilege of earning lucrative rewards. Those same cardholders generally do not revolve loan balances, meaning Amex earns much more money from transaction fees and annual cardholder dues than it does in interest on monthly balances. It makes money because people transact with the card to earn rewards, not because they need to borrow money to make ends meet.

It is on my mind that we may be living in a time of peak affluence. I read recently that the United States now has more than 430,000 households with a net worth above $30 million. Simultaneously, the federal government is running irresponsible budget deficits, many college-educated young people can’t get career-track jobs or afford housing, AI may threaten the future of white-collar work, and income inequality mainly seems to worsen. Could higher taxes, lower federal spending, an AI-led white-collar recession, a push for redistributive economic policies or perhaps some combination of all of them bode ill for the kind of folks who hold American Express cards?…” (Click here to read the full text)

While we acknowledge the potential of AXP to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AXP and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 33 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 15 Stocks That Will Make You Rich in 10 Years.

Disclosure: None. Insider Monkey focuses on uncovering the best investment ideas of hedge funds and insiders. Please subscribe to our free daily e-newsletter to get the latest investment ideas from hedge funds’ investor letters by entering your email address below.

The $250 Trillion AI Hype is Real. A few years from now, you’ll probably wish you’d bought this stock.

Dr. Inan Dogan

Dr. Ian Dogan

Co-Founder and Research Director at Insider Monkey

When Jeff Bezos said that one breakthrough technology would shape Amazon’s destiny, even Wall Street’s biggest analysts were caught off guard.

Fast forward a year and Amazon’s new CEO Andy Jassy described generative AI as a “once-in-a-lifetime” technology that is already being used across Amazon to reinvent customer experiences.

At the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, Elon Musk predicted that by 2040 there would be at least 10 billion humanoid robots, with each priced between $20,000 and $25,000.

Do the math. According to Musk, this technology could be worth $250 trillion by 2040.

Put another way, that’s roughly equal to:

  • 175 Teslas
  • 107 Amazons
  • 140 Metas
  • 84 Googles
  • 65 Microsofts
  • And 55 Nvidias

And here’s the wild part — this $250 trillion wave isn’t tied to one company, but to an entire ecosystem of AI innovators set to reshape the global economy.

It’s a leap so massive, it could reshape how businesses, governments, and consumers operate worldwide.

Even if that $250 trillion figure sounds ambitious, major firms like PwC and McKinsey still see AI unlocking multi-trillion-dollar potential.

How could anything be worth that much?

The answer lies in a breakthrough so powerful it’s redefining how humanity works, learns, and creates.

And this breakthrough has already set off a frenzy among hedge funds and Wall Street’s top investors.

What most investors don’t realize is that one under-owned company holds the key to this $250 trillion revolution.

In fact, Verge argues this company’s supercheap AI technology should concern rivals.

Before I reveal the details, let’s talk about how some of the richest people on the planet are positioning themselves.

  • Bill Gates sees artificial intelligence as the “biggest technological advance in my lifetime,” more transformative than the internet or personal computer, capable of improving healthcare, education, and addressing climate change.
  • Larry Ellison — through Oracle, is spending billions on Nvidia chips and partnering with Cohere to embed generative AI across Oracle’s cloud and apps.
  • Warren Buffett — not known for tech hype — says this breakthrough could have a ‘hugely beneficial social impact.

When billionaires from Silicon Valley to Wall Street line up behind the same idea — you know it’s worth paying attention to.

Even as we admire what Tesla, Nvidia, Alphabet, and Microsoft have built, we believe an even greater opportunity lies elsewhere…

But the real story isn’t Nvidia — it’s a much smaller company quietly improving the critical technology that makes this entire revolution possible.

And judging by what I’m hearing from both Silicon Valley insiders and Wall Street veterans…

This prediction might not be bold at all:

A few years from now, you’ll wish you’d owned this stock.

The best part? You can discover everything about this company and its groundbreaking technology right now.

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Buy This $3 Stock Now Before the 400% Surge Begins

Dr. Inan Dogan

Dr. Ian Dogan

Co-Founder and Research Director at Insider Monkey

My name is Inan Dogan. I’m the co-founder and Research Director of Insider Monkey. I have an important message for you today.

Since March 2017, my stock picks have returned 16.5% annually. Today, I’ve found an opportunity even bigger than my British American Tobacco call.

Two years ago, Wall Street wrote off British American Tobacco (BTI) as a “melting ice cube.” The stock had crashed 40% from its peak, and consensus said the business was dying.

We looked under the cover and realized they were wrong.

We alerted our subscribers, and BTI returned 90% in just 16 months.

Now if you had invested just $10,000 in BTI in June 2024, you’d be sitting on $19,000 in October 2025.

Today, we have identified a nearly identical pattern in a digital-first giant trading at $3.

While the market panics over a surface-level revenue decline, our PhD-led research shows management has actually surgically cut $100 million in waste to focus on high-margin growth.

This pattern is a hallmark of our 16.5% annual return track record. The current opportunity offers a 400% upside potential—dwarfing even our 90% BTI return.

Get the ticker for our new “Underdog” pick and the full BTI case study for just 99 cents.

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