This story originally appeared on StockNews
Legendary investor Warren Buffett’s holding company Berkshire Hathaway has outperformed the broader market over the past year. His investment portfolio has been a guide for several long-term investors for decades. Amid a highly uncertain market and economic backdrop, Warren Buffett holdings Procter & Gamble (PG), AbbVie (ABBV), Biogen (BIIB), and Kroger (KR) might be ideal investments for the next ten years.Buffett primarily invests in ably managed businesses with sound dividend records and pricing power. He has accumulated a fortune through his successful investment strategy, which has guided investors for decades.
Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has significantly outperformed the broader market. Over the past six months, BRK.B has returned 12.2 percent, outpacing the broader S&P 500 index’s 3.2 percent gains. Also, the stock has gained 2.8 percent over the past year versus the S&P 500’s 17.4 percent decline.
Despite the inflation showing signs of cooling, the Fed indicated to keep raising interest rates and predicted the terminal rate to reach as high as 5.1 percent next year, higher than the September projection of 4.6 percent. The Fed’s hawkish stance sparked recession fears recently. With the markets expected to witness heightened volatility in the upcoming months, investors should consider top Buffett’s holdings for solid returns over the long run.
The Procter & Gamble Company (PG)
PG provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. The company operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. It sells its products primarily through mass merchandisers, grocery stores, drug stores, department stores, wholesalers, pharmacies, electronics stores, and professional channels.For the fiscal 2023 first quarter ended September 30, 2022, PG’s healthcare sales grew 3 percent year-over-year to $2.76 billion, while its net sales increased 1 percent year-over-year to $20.61 billion. As of September 30, 2022, the company’s current assets stood at $22.52 billion, compared to $21.65 billion as of June 30, 2022.
PG has raised its dividends for 66 consecutive years. It pays a $3.65 per share dividend annually, which translates to a 2.40 percent yield on the current price. Its four-year average dividend yield is 2.46 percent. Its dividend payments have grown at CAGRs of 6.9 percent and 5.7 percent over the past three and five years, respectively.
Analysts expect PG’s EPS and revenue for the fiscal year ending June 2024 to increase 7.3 percent and 3.6 percent year-over-year to $6.26 and $82.79 billion, respectively. Furthermore, the company has surpassed its consensus revenue in each of the trailing four quarters. The stock has gained 9.9 percent over the past six months to close the last trading session at $152.19.
AbbVie Inc. (ABBV)
ABBV is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company’s product offerings include HUMIRA, SKYRIZI, and RINVOQ. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway holds more than 163.5 million shares of CVX. This represents a nearly 8.4 percent stake in the company.On December 6, ABBV and HotSpot Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company, announced an exclusive collaboration and option to license agreement for HotSpot’s discovery-stage IRF5 program for the autoimmune disease treatment. The partnership with HotSpot will further strengthen its robust immunology pipeline.
On October 20, ABBV acquired DJS Antibodies Ltd, a privately held UK-based biotechnology company that discovers and develops antibody medicines targeting difficult-to-drug disease-causing proteins. This acquisition is expected to deliver new capabilities to enhance the company’s antibody research activities and strengthen its immunology portfolio.
On October 28, ABBV declared an increase in its quarterly dividend from $1.41 per share to $1.48 per share, reflecting an increase of approximately 5 percent, payable to shareholders on February 15, 2023. ABBV has raised its dividends for nine consecutive years.
“Based upon our performance and confidence in AbbVie’s long-term outlook, we are once again meaningfully raising our dividend,” added Chairman and CEO Richard A. Gonzalez.
The company’s annual dividend of $5.92 per share translates to a 3.63 percent yield on the current price. Its dividend payouts have grown at a CAGR of 9.6 percent and 17.3 percent over the past three years and five years, respectively. Its four-year average dividend yield is 4.63 percent.
ABBV’s net revenues increased 3.3 percent year-over-year to $14.81 billion in the fiscal third quarter ended September 30, 2022. The company’s operating income amounted to $4.60 billion, up 6.9 percent year-over-year. Its adjusted after-tax earnings increased 29.1 percent year-over-year to $6.53 billion. Also, its adjusted EPS grew 29.3 percent year-over-year to $3.66.
For the fiscal fourth quarter ending December 2022, analysts expect ABBV’s revenue to come in at $15.32 billion, indicating an increase of 2.9 percent year-over-year. The consensus EPS estimate of $3.66 for the current quarter indicates a 10.7 percent year-over-year increase. The company has surpassed the consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters.
Furthermore, the company’s revenue and EPS for the current fiscal year are expected to grow 3.9 percent and 9 percent year-over-year to $58.30 billion and $13.84, respectively. Shares of ABBV have gained 10.7 percent over the past six months and 20.6 percent year-to-date to close the last trading session at $163.27.
ABBV’s POWR Ratings reflect its promising prospects. The stock has an overall A rating, equating to a Strong Buy in our POWR Ratings system.
ABBV has an A grade for Quality and a B for Growth. It is ranked #13 in the 159-stock Medical—Pharmaceuticals industry.
Biogen Inc. (BIIB)
BIIB discovers, develops, manufactures, and delivers therapies for treating neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.On December 19, BIIB got into an agreement with Genentech, a Roche Group member, on the commercialization and sharing of economics for glofitamab. Glofitamab is an investigational CD20xCD3 T-cell engaging bispecific antibody being developed by Roche for the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. BIIB is expected to register substantial revenue growth with the sale of glofitamab.
In the third quarter that ended September 30, 2022, BIIB’s revenue from anti-CD20 therapeutic programs came in at $416.90 million, up marginally year-over-year. The company’s net income came in at $1.13 billion, up 244.7 percent year-over-year, while earnings per share attributable to BIIB rose 253.2 percent year-over-year to $7.84.
Analysts expect BIIB’s EPS to increase 3 percent year-over-year to $3.49 for the fourth quarter ending December 2022. The company’s EPS for the fiscal first quarter (ending March 2023) is expected to increase 9.6 percent year-over-year to $3.97. It has surpassed the consensus EPS estimates in three of four trailing quarters.
Over the past six months, the stock has gained 35.6 percent to close the last trading session at $280.61.
BIIB’s strong fundamentals are reflected in its POWR Ratings. The stock’s overall A rating translates to a Strong Buy in our proprietary rating system.
The Kroger Co. (KR)
KR is a leading retailer that operates combination food and drug stores, marketplace stores, multi-department stores, and price impact warehouses. The company operates more than 2,720 supermarkets under various names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway held more than 58 million shares of KR as of March 31, 2022. This represents a nearly 8 percent stake in the company.For the fiscal third quarter of 2022, KR’s sales increased 7.3 percent year-over-year to $34.20 billion. Adjusted net earnings attributable to KR rose 9.2 percent from the prior-year quarter to $643 million. Its adjusted EPS came in at $0.88, up 12.8 percent from last year’s period.
KR has paid dividends for 16 consecutive years. Its dividend payouts have increased at 16.1 percent CAGR for the past three years. Its current dividend yield is 2.30 percent, and its four-year average dividend yield is 1.97 percent.
The consensus EPS estimate of $4.13 for the fiscal year ending January 2023 indicates a 12.2 year-over-year increase. Likewise, analysts expect the company’s revenue for the ongoing year to improve by 7.6 percent from the prior year to $148.33 billion. Also, the company has topped the consensus EPS and revenue estimates in all the trailing four quarters.
Shares of KR have gained 4 percent over the past year to close the last trading session at $45.25.
KR’s solid fundamentals and strong outlook are reflected in its POWR Ratings. The stock has an overall A rating, which equates to a Strong Buy in our proprietary rating system.
