Warren Buffett is one of the most successful investors of all time. He has been able to transform a small textile company into a $200 billion conglomerate, with interests in insurance, manufacturing, utilities and railroads. One of the most followed segment of the business however is the investment portfolio.
In a previous article, I discussed how investors who closely followed Buffett's moves in the Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) stock portfolio between 1976 and 2006 would have significantly outperformed the market.
The company is required by the SEC to publicly disclose its stock holdings each quarter. Sometimes, Buffett is able to request an exception for holdings he is in the process of accumulating. This is to ensure that investors who closely follow his trades do not bid up the prices of stocks he is purchasing, while he is building up his positions.
Over the past week, Berkshire Hathaway disclosed new holdings in International Business Machines (
IBM), Visa (
V) and Direct TV (
DTV), Intel (
INTC), CVS Caremark (
CVS) and General Dynamics (
GD). I have long speculated that Buffett is
a closet dividend investor. Indeed, Berkshire's portfolio
generates over $1.40 billion in annual dividend income. Most of the new additions represent stocks which could easily be characterized as dividend growth companies. I have analyzed each one below, in order to determine if they are decent buys at the moment.
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) provides information technology (IT) products and services worldwide. Big Blue has paid dividends for 100 years, and raised them for each of the past 16 years. The company has been able to transform itself from a hardware company to service and consulting juggernaut. I would consider initiating a position in IBM on dips below $150. The major issue with IBM is the low yield of 1.70%.