Morningstar (morningstar): Warren Buffett Stocks to Hold Forever
Warren Buffett retired at the end of 2025, leaving investors focused on a compact group of longtime positions that still sit in Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio. The founder’s simple playbook—buy good businesses, wait, and collect dividends—frames why these names matter now; morningstar
Morningstar and Buffett’s enduring picks
Berkshire’s roster includes consumer stalwarts and large-cap industrials that embody Buffett’s preference for brand power, predictable cash flow and dividend durability. Those traits explain why a handful of names continue to feature in the portfolio: they combine recognizable products and wide distribution with long dividend histories.
Apple: iPhone ecosystem, services and AI potential
Apple is presented as a core holding built on the iPhone and a broad software ecosystem that covers phones, computers, tablets and wearables. The App Store and subscription services are described as high-margin revenue drivers, supported by an installed base of roughly 2. 5 billion active iOS devices worldwide. The company also pays a dividend and has raised it for 12 consecutive years (Apple (AAPL +2. 28%) in the cited snapshot).
The context notes Apple’s AI opportunity: some critics cite a slow start in AI, while the company has avoided heavy early investment in data-center infrastructure. Instead, Apple is said to be looking to push new device types and integrate AI into them. If Apple successfully embeds AI into devices and services, that could strengthen the firm’s high-margin ecosystem over time.
Coca‑Cola and steady payouts
Coca‑Cola is framed as a timeless, consumer-facing business and one of the oldest holdings in the portfolio. Beyond its flagship soda, the company operates a global distribution network selling a wide range of beverages. Dividends are a central feature: Coca‑Cola is noted as a Dividend King with 62 consecutive annual increases (Coca‑Cola (KO +0. 20%) in the cited snapshot).
Growth for the brand is characterized as steady rather than rapid. The firm’s size and distribution are presented as competitive advantages that can support slow, durable expansion, product development or acquisitions, and steady cash returns to shareholders as emerging markets mature.
Chevron, Visa and the long game
Energy and payments round out the examples highlighted. Chevron is described as a large integrated oil and gas company that explores, produces and refines fuel and operates worldwide; it is also noted for a long dividend track record (37 years of uninterrupted growth; Chevron (CVX +0. 29%) in the cited snapshot). A recent acquisition of Hess is said to give Chevron a 30% stake in the Guyana Stabroek Block, and the company anticipates growing production and cash flow through 2030.
Visa is characterized as a winner from the shift away from cash. As a payments network, Visa acts like a toll collector, charging a fee on electronic transactions; the profile highlights broad scale and structural benefit from ongoing payments migration (Visa (V +0. 23%) in the cited snapshot).
Key takeaways
- Buffett’s retirement at the end of 2025 has focused attention on a small set of enduring holdings that emphasize brand, distribution and dividends.
- Apple combines a vast device base, services revenue and potential AI-driven product initiatives; Coca‑Cola offers steady, long-running dividend growth.
- Chevron and Visa illustrate dividend durability and structural business advantages tied to energy development and the shift away from cash; future returns depend on execution and macro trends through the coming years.
Investors deciding whether to follow a buy-and-hold posture with these names should weigh each company’s business durability and stated growth drivers. Observables cited here—the installed base and services for Apple, multi-decade dividend records for Coca‑Cola and Chevron, Chevron’s stake in Guyana’s Stabroek Block, and Visa’s role in payments—are the concrete indicators to monitor going forward.
