Keeping up with the investing world can be a daunting task for many. The stock market moves at an incredible pace and many investors struggle to keep up with what stocks to buy and which to avoid.
One effective strategy, however, is to mimic the portfolios of billionaire investors. These individuals have amassed their wealth through a variety of different ways and have put large amounts of their net worth into the stock market.
Tracking their investments can give smaller investors an extra edge in achieving their financial goals.
Investing Like a Billionaire
Billionaires have access to vast amounts of market research, global market intelligence, as well as many other resources that help them make informed investment decisions.
Thanks to a requirement by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that requires any hedge fund or institutional investor with at least $100 million in assets under management to disclose their equity holdings through filing a Form 13F quarterly report, everyday investors can follow what billionaire investors are buying and selling on a regular basis.
Copying the stock picks of billionaires isn’t a surefire way to become rich, though it does provide a great perspective on what some of the most successful and brightest investors in the world are doing with their hard-earned money.
With this in mind, here are 10 stocks that have caught the attention of billionaires.
A Look at a Billionaire Stock Portfolio
1.) Amazon (AMZN)
You’ve probably heard of the online retailer Amazon. This company has reinvented online shopping and become one of the most visited websites in the world on a daily basis. However, the Amazon of today has become much more than just an online store.
Amazon Web Services has become one of the most profitable portions of the business and is one of the most widely used cloud platforms for businesses and government agencies alike.
Amazon was started by famed entrepreneur Jeff Bezos (who is also a billionaire and still owns shares in his company) and has also caught the eye of several other billionaire investors including Ken Griffin of Citadel Advisors and Bill Miller who owns and operates the LMM Investment Company.
Amazon stats :
- market capitalization: $973 billion
- trailing twelve-month revenue: $502.19 billion
- current price per share: $95.46
- share price 52-week high: $170.83
- share price 52-week low: $81.43
2.) Constellation Energy (CEG)
Constellation energy is one of the world’s top producers of carbon-free energy.
The company specifically produces and sells renewable energy, natural gas, as well as other energy-related products. The company has over 32,000 megawatts of generating capacity made up of nuclear, natural gas, wind, solar, and hydroelectric assets. They have a diverse customer base, serving municipalities, cooperatives, commercial clients, governments, and residential homes.
David Tepper, who co-founded Appaloosa Management (and is considered one of the greatest hedge fund managers of his generation) has been a recent investor in Constellation Energy.
The billionaire is allocating his capital towards the renewable energy revolution, as countries look to become more self-sufficient in powering their infrastructure and the homes of their residents.
constellation energy stats
- market capitalization: $26 billion
- trailing twelve-month revenue: $22.64 billion
- the current price per share: $81.67
- share price 52-week high: $97.89
- share price 52-week low: $40.95
3.) Alphabet (GOOG)
Alphabet is the parent company of the tech firm Google, which over the years has expanded its business to include Android, Chrome, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Play, YouTube, and more.
Google has become of the most important and successful tech companies in history, and as such, has been a favorite stock pick amongst both billionaires and retail investors.
Most recently, Alphabet stock has been picked up by Chris Hohn who manages the hedge fund TCI Fund Management, as well as billionaire Seth Klarman of The Baupost Group which manages over $30 billion in assets.
Alphabet stats
- market capitalization: $1.1 trillion
- trailing twelve-month revenue: $282.11 billion
- the current price per share: $91.21
- share price 52-week high: $152.10
- share price 52-week low: $83.45
4.) Microsoft (MSFT)
Microsoft is the software of choice for businesses across the world, with its incredibly popular stack of office products including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.
The company was founded by Bill Gates who became a billionaire after starting Microsoft and still owns a large percentage of shares in the company, currently making up over 26% of his own personal portfolio. Other billionaires like Paul Allen and the current CEO of Microsoft Steve Ballmer, own substantial amounts of Microsoft stock.
Microsoft stats
- market capitalization: $1.75 trillion
- trailing twelve-month revenue: $203.07 billion
- current price per share: $235.17
- share price 52-week high: $315.95
- share price 52-week low: $213.43
5.) Occidental Petroleum (OXY)
Occidental Petroleum is a plain and simple oil company. In late September of 2022, Warren Buffett of hedge fund Berkshire Hathaway invested an additional $350 million to their original position, giving them a total ownership stake in the company of 20.8%. Additionally, billionaire Carl Icahn holds a large position in the business as well.
As China begins to reopen its economy and the war in Ukraine makes the uninterrupted supply of energy throughout Europe uncertain, gives Occidental Petroleum some favorable catalysts to capitalize on in the coming months.
In the third quarter of 2022 (around the time Warren Buffet purchased shares), Occidental reported a net income of $2.55 billion, which was a 400% increase year-over-year.
Occidental Petroleum stats
- market capitalization: $58 billion
- trailing twelve-month revenue: $36.33 billion
- the current price per share: $64.20
- share price 52-week high: $77.13
- share price 52-week low: $31.37
6.) Snowflake (SNOW)
Snowflake is a relatively new publicly traded company that helps users organize, leverage, and understand their data.
Warren Buffet invested in the data management firm in 2020 which was a notable choice for the billionaire investor who tends to shy away from expensive technology stocks.
Snowflake, however, with a great leadership team and strong scalability offers great value even with an above-average valuation.
snowflake stats
- market capitalization: $45 billion
- trailing twelve-month revenue: $1.86 billion
- current price per share: $139.25
- share price 52-week high: $329.49
- share price 52-week low: $110.26
7.) Datadog (DDOG)
Stanley Druckenmiller, a renowned billionaire investor, recently invested $82 million in Datadog by purchasing nearly 790,000 shares in the second quarter and third quarter of 2022. The application and performance monitoring platform have become his ninth-largest holding, demonstrating his confidence in the company.
Datadog’s revenue rose 61% year-over-year to $437 million in the third quarter of 2022, and its cash flow has also seen a significant increase. Additionally, trailing 12-month free cash flow reached $364 million, up 45% from the previous year.
Datadog stats
- market capitalization: $22 billion
- trailing twelve-month revenue: $1.53 billion
- the current price per share: $69.98
- share price 52-week high: $184.70
- share price 52-week low: $61.34
8.) Colgate-Palmolive
Billionaire Dan Loeb and his hedge fund Third Point recently bought over $1 billion worth of stock in Colgate-Palmolive. The firm sells household necessities like toothbrushes and pet supplies, plus other common items.
One can only speculate as to why Mr. Loeb selected Colgate-Palmolive as his investment of choice, however, the company is likely to benefit from rising inflation as consumers look to find everyday items at lower prices.
Companies (like Colgate-Palmolive) that can provide competitive pricing to consumers, as well as maintain profit margins are likely to do well given the current state of the economy.
Colgate-Palmolive stats
- market capitalization: $63 billion
- trailing twelve-month revenue: $17.74 billion
- the current price per share: $76.32
- share price 52-week high: $84.75
- share price 52-week low: $67.84
9.) Apple (AAPL)
Perhaps the most well-known organization in the world, Apple, is a stock in many billionaires’ portfolios. Most notably, Warren Buffet has purchased enough shares of the company to make up 40% of his hedge funds holdings.
Apple also works closely with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) which Buffet also owns (and is a stock pick that is gaining in popularity amongst billionaires as the world relies more heavily on cutting-edge microchips).
Billionaires don’t like to gamble their money on risky stocks and Apple is an investment that has provided incredible value for those who chose to invest. The firm has great pricing power in times of high inflation, making it a favorite among billionaire investors.
Apple stats
- market capitalization: $2 trillion
- trailing twelve-month revenue: $394.33 billion
- current price per share: $134.44
- share price 52-week high: $179.61
- share price 52-week low: $124.17
10.) Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms (formerly known as Facebook) has seen their share price fall amidst recent struggles of declining revenue and rising costs. However, their leader Mark Zuckerberg, who still owns a large stake in the business, believes their push into the metaverse will pay off handsomely for investors.
Markets tend to overreact when a business struggles, which presents opportunities for smart long-term investors who still see potential in a business. Meta Platforms fits the bill of an organization that isn’t afraid to change how their business operates and although their revenue has fallen in recent quarters there is still substantial opportunity for their stock to continue beating the market in the future.
Meta platform stats
- market capitalization: $348 billion
- trailing twelve-month revenue: $118.12 billion
- the current price per share: $132.65
- share price 52-week high: $328.00
- share price 52-week low: $88.09
Final Takeaway
Regardless of which index a stock trades on, whether it’s the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the NASDAQ, billionaires look for businesses that have the potential for robust revenue growth and share price appreciation.
Following the investments of billionaires can give everyday investors the chance to achieve their financial goals without having access to the resources and global market intelligence that billionaires and large institutional investors have.
Whether it’s performing due diligence, combing through a business’s first-quarter results, or keeping up with an endless amount of financial news, can be an overwhelming amount of work for retail investors.
A much better strategy is to follow in the footsteps of billionaires who have unlimited resources when it comes to making strategic investment decisions.