Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors the world has known. He is also, perhaps, one of the strongest advocates of long-term investing. Buffett invests in strong companies through his holding company Berkshire Hathaway and often holds those stocks for years, even decades.
Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) is the finest example. Buffett first bought shares in the beverage giant in 1988. Although he traded shares several times in between, Coca-Cola has bagged a permanent spot in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio.
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Buffett's investing prowess and long-term investing mindset are primarily why he has amassed so much wealth from stocks. While it may not be possible to emulate his greatness, you can always buy some of the stocks he has invested in. If you have $1,000 to invest, here are three top Warren Buffett stocks you could buy right now.
Buffett is buying this stock hand over fist
Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY) is among the few stocks Buffett is piling up on. Buffett first invested $10 billion in preferred shares of Occidental to fund the oil and gas giant's Anadarko acquisition and has consistently bought Occidental's common stock since. So much so that Berkshire Hathaway is now the biggest shareholder in Occidental Petroleum with a 28.2% stake after its latest reported purchase in early February. And Occidental stock is the sixth largest holding in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio.
Shares of Occidental Petroleum have underperformed over the past year or so, but I believe the stock deserves better. Investors have been worried about Occidental's debt, which rose after its $12 billion acquisition of CrownRock last year largely funded with debt.
Occidental's management, however, has prioritized debt reduction and already repaid $4.5 billion within five months of the acquisition against its 12-month target. Management expects to cut debt further in 2025 (regardless of where oil prices are) through organic cash-flow generation and the divestment of non-core assets. The company has already identified assets worth $1.2 billion to divest this year and use the proceeds to repay debt.
While CrownRock should boost Occidental's cash flows from its oil business, its non-oil chemicals and low-carbon ventures businesses should also increasingly contribute to Occidental's cash flows in the coming years. The company remains committed to dividends too and has just announced a 9% hike in its quarterly dividend. Taking on nearly $10 billion in debt for an acquisition may seem like a big price to pay, but Occidental's focus on leveraging CrownRock's Permian assets, while getting its balance sheet back in shape, makes this Buffett oil stock a potential turnaround story worth a bet.
These multibagger Buffett stocks should continue to outperform
MasterCard (NYSE: MA) and Visa (NYSE: V) are similar in more ways than one. The two companies are a duopoly in the payments-processing industry, which means they have a similar business model of processing global transactions on their respective cards and earning a fee in return. Since it's an asset-light business model with no credit risk -- as Visa and Mastercard only process payments and do not issue cards or lend money -- both companies generate sky-high margins.
In the full-year 2024, Visa delivered 10% and 17% growth in revenue and earnings per share (EPS), respectively. Its network processed nearly $16 trillion worth of transactions in the year. Mastercard delivered 13% revenue and 17% EPS growth in 2024, processing transactions worth almost $10 trillion during the year. While Visa generated an operating margin of 66% in 2024, Mastercard reported an operating margin of 55%. Both stocks have generated humongous returns for shareholders over the years, with and without reinvested dividends.
Both companies are now increasingly tapping value-added services, such as risk, digital, authentication, and security solutions for growth. One notable difference between Mastercard and Visa, though, is that Mastercard has a larger international exposure. While that also means higher geopolitical risks, I believe it's an advantage and opportunity in the long term as more economies switch from cash to digital money.
Buffett has owned shares of Mastercard and Visa for several years now, and it's easy to understand why. These companies have a duopoly, are highly profitable, and have strong balance sheets and plenty of growth opportunities as more countries go cashless. Whether you buy one of the two stocks or shares of both, Mastercard and Visa are no-brainer Buffett stocks to buy and hold.
Should you invest $1,000 in Mastercard right now?
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Neha Chamaria has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
