Every year Mr. Buffett, the world's third-richest man and arguably the most successful stock-market investor in history, writes a letter to stockholders in his investment company Berkshire Hathaway. The latest came out this weekend. There are usually some nuggets for all those who haven't invested in Berkshire, and this year's letter was no exception. Here are five:
Warren Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway, before being presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in February.
1. Watch out for stock-market valuations.
Mr. Buffett's company is now sitting on a cash hoard of $38 billion. "That's among the highest levels it's ever been," says Stifel Nicolas analyst Meyer Shields. While Mr. Buffett says he is looking for a big acquisition, and has his "elephant gun loaded," the high cash pile also suggests he's having a challenge finding really good deals. If Mr. Buffett is cautious, investors might want to take note: It's another sign that many valuations on the stock market may be looking a little stretched.
2. Coke is it.
Mr. Buffett rarely makes predictions, but in the case of Coca-Cola —a long-term holding—he issues a remarkable one: Dividends will probably "double ... within ten years," he writes. That would take them from last year's $1.76 to $3.52 per share. If Coca-Cola stock didn't move over that period, it would raise the dividend yield from 2.5% today to above 5%. Berkshire owns 8.6% of Coca-Cola stock.
3. Some of his favorite stocks are still cheap.
While the stock market overall has boomed, and it's a battle to find cheap stocks, one thing does stand out: Many of Warren Buffett's favorite stocks remain at, or around, the prices he paid for them. As Mr. Buffett only likes to buy stocks for a lot less than he thinks they are really worth, this suggests you can get a bargain or two—although, as always, there are no guarantees.
They include French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis. Berkshire Hathaway has accumulated about $1.8 billion worth of the stock. Sanofi's share price has come under pressure lately as a result of its acquisition of biotech giant Genzyme. At $35, its American Depositary Receipts are now about 12% below the average price Mr. Buffett paid.
Or look at Kraft Foods. Mr. Buffett owns 97 million shares, a hefty 5.6% of the company, for which he paid an average of $33 each. Today the stock is just $32. It has been held back, in part, by the costs of the takeover of Britain's Cadbury. But the stock yields a decent 3.7%. It is a reasonable 14 times forecast earnings, and just over 1.1 times annual revenues.
Mr. Buffett also owns 45 million shares in health-care behemoth Johnson & Johnson, a stake valued at about $2.7 billion. He paid about $61 for the stock: It's now $60, 12 times forecast earnings, yielding 3.6%. A cheap stock.
And what about Wal-Mart Stores? It's tumbled in recent weeks to $52. That's just 12 times forecast earnings. And the dividend yield, 2.3%, may not be huge, but it's the highest it's ever been. Today's price is just a few dollars a share more than Warren Buffett paid: Berkshire Hathaway accumulated a $2 billion stake at an average of about $48.50.
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