After all, as fellow Fool Brian Stoffel noted last month, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s valuation is historically low despite its $870 price per share, and Google has stood largely unchallenged in the Web search market segment for the past decade. More specifically, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has maintained at least an 80% market share in search since 2007, despite even the best efforts of tech giant Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), with its own revamped search engine and recent “Bing it on” ad campaigns.
Add to that the fact that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) boasts dozens of irons in the fire with huge potential — including its unrivaled Maps program, autonomous cars, a mobile revolution powered by its Android operating system, and the coming commercial release of Google Glass — and it becomes nearly impossible to envision a scenario 20 years from now that doesn’t include Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) as an integral part of our lives.
Image source: WikiMedia Commons
Finally, in any serious list of incredible businesses built with a long-term focus, you’d be hard-pressed to find a reason not to include the one Warren Buffett has arguably morphed into the most successful financial holding company of all time.
After all, excluding Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A)’s now-completed purchase of a 50% stake in Heinz and its recent announcement to acquire Las Vegas-based NV Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NVE) (which will operate as a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A)’s MidAmerican), Berkshire is currently composed of an unrivaled group of 56 diverse businesses, including Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Geico, General Re, Dairy Queen, The Pampered Chef, See’s Candies, Shaw Industries, Marmon, Lubrizol, Iscar, NetJets, and dozens of others.
That’s not to mention Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A)’s more than $73 billion equities portfolio, to which investors all over the world continuously look for solid ideas for stocks to buy. At the end of 2012, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A)’s portfolio notably included a 13.7% stake in American Express Company (NYSE:AXP), 8.7% ownership of Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC), 8.9% of all outstanding The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) shares, and a 5.5% stake in International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM).
In the end, if Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A)’s not one of the most compelling stocks to buy for the next 20 years, I don’t know what is.
The article 3 Stocks to Buy for the Next 20 Years originally appeared on Fool.com is written by Steve Symington.
Fool contributor Steve Symington has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends American Express, Berkshire Hathaway, Coca-Cola, Google, PepsiCo, SodaStream, and Wells Fargo and owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway, Google, IBM, Microsoft, PepsiCo, SodaStream, and Wells Fargo.
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