<div id="readability-page-1"><div> <h2>Key Points</h2><ul><li>Apple's economic moat, share buybacks, and customer loyalty make it appealing.</li><li>Berkshire has exited Visa and Mastercard, but two key factors may explain why it's holding on to American Express.</li><li>Coca-Cola is a stock to buy and hold due to both its dividend and durable business.</li><li>10 stocks we like better than Apple ›</li></ul>Warren Buffett, who served as chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway from 1965 to 2025, once said his favorite holding period was &#34;forever.&#34;Now, that doesn't mean the legendary investor held on to every stock he ever bought. Just like investors of all stripes, he was apt to cash out of investments that were either overvalued or where the bull case was shifting in the wrong direction.Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an &#34;Indispensable Monopoly&#34; providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »However, among the core Berkshire Hathaway portfolio, there are a few stocks Buffett bought but never sold. Interestingly enough, they are also currently the three largest positions in the portfolio.With each one representing ownership in businesses with strong balance sheets, deep economic moats, and long track records of earnings and/or dividend growth, these are the Warren Buffett investments to buy and hold forever: Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), American Express (NYSE: AXP), and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO).<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-dXJsPWh0dHBzOi8vZy5mb29sY2RuLmNvbS9lZGl0b3JpYWwvaW1hZ2VzLzg3MDI4Ny9idWZmZXR0LWFkdmljZS1mb3Itc3RvY2stbWFya2V0LWNyYXNoLndlYnAmdz03MDA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="700" height="464" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-dXJsPWh0dHBzOi8vZy5mb29sY2RuLmNvbS9lZGl0b3JpYWwvaW1hZ2VzLzg3MDI4Ny9idWZmZXR0LWFkdmljZS1mb3Itc3RvY2stbWFya2V0LWNyYXNoLndlYnAmdz03MDA"/>Image source: The Motley Fool. <h2>Apple remains the tech stock best meeting Buffett's criteria</h2>Berkshire Hathaway first invested in tech giant Apple in 2016. Berkshire has periodically sold some of its position, but by and large it has held on to this holding.Per the latest 13-F disclosure filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Berkshire Hathaway's 1.6% stake in Apple is the portfolio's largest and most valuable single holding. Making up almost 21% of the overall portfolio, the position is worth about $67.9 billion .When Berkshire first invested in Apple, it was a unique moment, because Buffett had long shunned technology stocks. Since then, Berkshire Hathaway has invested in many major tech companies, including Google parent Alphabet, which has since become a top 10 Berkshire Hathaway holding.However, among the &#34;Magnificent Seven&#34; stocks that are also Warren Buffett stocks, Apple may be the one that best fits his investing criteria. Apple shares many key features of a long-term Buffett holding, and not just because of the company's deep economic moat. There's also Apple's loyal customer base, plus its extensive use of stock buybacks, which Buffett prefers to dividends.<h2>American Express has a deep, varied moat</h2>Berkshire Hathaway may have dumped its positions in Visa and Mastercard, but it hasn't touched its decades-old position in American Express.Similar to American Express, Visa, and Mastercard, all payment network operators benefit greatly from the digitalization of payments growth trend. However, while Visa and Mastercard do have a deep economic moat by virtue of their position in the payment network oligopoly, these names lack certain factors that are much more prevalent in American Express.First, there's valuation. Due to continued high rates of earnings growth, investors have bid up Mastercard and Visa to forward multiples in the mid-20s. American Express shares trade at a more reasonable 18 times forward earnings. This comes despite sell-side analysts also expecting Amex to report double-digit percentage earnings growth in the years ahead.Second, unlike the pressure Visa and Mastercard face from vendors who object to their swipe fees, merchants participating in Amex's network are willing to pay even higher fees, in exchange for access to the company's affluent customer base.<h2>Coca-Cola: Berkshire's Dividend King</h2>Coca-Cola has been a Buffett stock for nearly 40 years. Berkshire slowly accumulated its position between 1988 and 1994, investing a total of $1.3 billion. Berkshire has never sold a single share, and today its 9.3% stake is worth about $32.8 billion.Just as impressive as the tens of billions in gains from this position is the high level of dividend income this investment has generated for Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire reaps about $816 million in Coca-Cola dividends, almost a 63% yield on cost.In total, Berkshire has generated about nine times its original investment in just dividends alone. This high level of dividend income is a testament to Coca-Cola's status as one of the Dividend Kings, or stocks with more than 50 consecutive years of dividend increases.With its economic moat and brand status driving steady revenue and earnings growth, Coca-Cola is likely to continue increasing its dividend in the years ahead. During the past decade, Coca-Cola's dividend increases have averaged about 4.5% annually. The shares have a forward yield of just 2.6%, but as seen with Berkshire's investment, dividend income can snowball over time thanks to decades of consistent payout growth.<h2>Should you buy stock in Apple right now?</h2> Before you buy stock in Apple, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Apple wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $481,750!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,352,457!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 990% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 206% for the S&amp;P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 21, 2026. American Express is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Thomas Niel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, American Express, Apple, 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. </div></div>

Warren Buffett's top three stocks to buy and hold forever are Apple, American Express, and Coca-Cola. Apple, with a 1.6% stake worth $67.9 billion, boasts a strong economic moat and loyal customer base. American Express, valued at a reasonable forward earnings multiple, benefits from a unique customer base willing to pay higher fees. Coca-Cola, a long-term investment for Berkshire, generates significant dividend income, with a 9.3% stake worth $32.8 billion and a history of consistent dividend growth.

- Berkshire Hathaway's substantial investments in Apple, American Express, and Coca-Cola reflect their strong economic moats and growth potential.  
- Apple represents a major portion of Berkshire's portfolio, valued at approximately $67.9 billion, while American Express stands out due to its reasonable valuation and loyal merchant base.  
- Coca-Cola, a longstanding investment for nearly 40 years, continues to generate significant dividend income, affirming its status as a "Dividend King."

3 Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever