Warren Buffett is getting his biggest gains from seven stocks. But his Magnificent Seven holdings are nothing like everyone else's in the S&P 500.
Seven U.S.-listed holdings in Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway — including Jefferies Financial, Liberty Live and Nu Holdings — are all up 50% or more this year, says an Investor's Business Daily analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence and MarketSurge.
All these stocks are outperforming Berkshire Hathaway's additional positions in stocks others call the Magnificent Seven: Amazon.com and Apple. Amazon is up 33% this year and Apple is up just 16.8%.
Buffett Scores On Financials
Two of Buffett's top stocks this year are both financials. Shares of brokerage firm Jefferies are up 83%. That's Berkshire Hathaway's top performer this year.
It's not all that surprising. Many financials rallied following the election on hopes that Donald Trump will ease regulations. JEF stock is up so much it wins a 95 RS Rating. Additionally, its earnings are strong, which explains the perfect 99 Composite Rating. Analysts think profit will jump 169% this year.
Buffett's other financial winner is Nu Holdings. The stock is up 68% this year, pushing its RS Rating to 91. Analysts think the Brazilian digital bank's profit will rise 97% this year.
Finding Unusual Winners
Plenty of investors are talking about Nvidia, but what about Liberty Live Group? It's been magnificent for Buffett.
Buffett is up more than 74% on the stock this year. It's a somewhat large position for Berkshire Hathaway, too. Buffett owns nearly 20% of two classes of the entertainment company's stock.
Seeing such large gains might explain Buffett's flagging enthusiasm for the Magnificent Seven. He only owns 0.1% of Amazon and continues to aggressively sell Apple. Now you can see why.
Berkshire Hathaway's Top Stocks This Year
| Company | Ticker | YTD change |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferies Financial Group | JEF | 83.2% |
| Liberty Live Group | LLYV.K | 74.9% |
| Liberty Live Group | LLYV.A | 74.3% |
| Nu Holdings | NU | 68.1% |
| Louisiana-Pacific | LPX | 58.1% |
| American Express | AXP | 52.9% |
| DaVita | DVA | 52.1% |
