Zacks Value Trader Highlights: Berkshire Hathaway, Apple, American Express, Visa and Coca-Cola

For Immediate ReleaseChicago, IL – February 18, 2025 – Zacks Value Trader is a podcast hosted weekly by Zacks Stock Strategist Tracey Ryniec. Every week, Tracey will be joined by guests to discuss the hottest investing topics in stocks, bonds and ETFs and how it impacts your life. To listen to the podcast, click here: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2416472/3-lessons-from-buffetts-apple-stock-sales)3 Lessons from Buffett's Apple Stock SalesWelcome to Episode #396 of the Value Investor Podcast.(0:30) - How Much Should You Follow The 13-F Filings?(4:10) - Investing Lessons To Learn From Warren Buffett(27:45) - Episode Roundup: BRK.B, AAPL, COST, V, AXP            Podcast@Zacks.comEvery week, Tracey Ryniec, the editor of Zacks Value Investor portfolio, shares some of her top value investing tips and stock picks.Almost a year ago, Wall Street learned that Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) was selling lots of shares of its largest equity holding, Apple. Apple is one of the "4 pillars" of Berkshire Hathaway and a key component of the business.At the May 2024 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, Warren Buffett said they were selling for tax reasons. But the selling of the shares continued. As of the third quarter of 2024, Berkshire had sold 100 million shares. It now owns just 300 million. Apple is now just 26.2% of the Berkshire Hathaway equity portfolio, down from around 50%.There are three important lessons value investors can learn from Buffett's sale of Apple shares.1. Buy and hold forever is a myth2. Don't fall in love with your stocks3. You can't market timeValuations: Does It Matter?1. Apple Inc. AAPLWhen Berkshire Hathaway bought Apple in the first quarter of 2016, it was cheap on a price-to-earnings (P/E) basis. It had a P/E under 15, which usually indicates a company is a value. But Apple is now trading with a forward P/E of 32.3%.And Apple has a PEG ratio, which measures the P/E divided by growth, of 2.4. A PEG ratio under 1.0 indicates a company has both value and growth. But Apple is more expensive.Will we ever really find out why Buffett decided to start selling Apple in 2024?2. American Express Co. AXPAmerican Express is now Berkshire Hathaway's second largest holding in its equity portfolio. It makes up 15.4% of the portfolio. Shares of American Express have been on a tear the last year, adding 47%.Yet American Express still has attractive valuations. It trades with a forward P/E of 20 and has a PEG ratio of 1.5.Is this a buying opportunity in American Express?3. Visa Inc. VVisa is also a holding in the Berkshire Hathaway equity portfolio. Buffett bought it in 2011 and has never sold, or bought, more shares even as valuations soared in 2020 and 2021. Visa traded over 40x during the pandemic.It was a small position originally, and remains so, even though the shares were up 27.8% over the last year. Yet, Visa is still trading with a forward P/E of 31. That is "cheaper" than Apple but it's too high to be considered a classic value stock.Should investors follow Berkshire Hathaway into Visa in 2025?4. The Coca-Cola Co. KOCoca-Cola has been part of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio for decades. It remains one of the largest positions in the equity portfolio, at 10.8%.Shares of Coke are up 16.9% over the last year. It's not cheap, with a forward P/E of 23.5. Coca-Cola also has a PEG ratio of 3.8. A PEG under 1.0 indicates growth and value.Is Coca-Cola still a buy in 2025?What Else Should You Know About Buffett's Sales of Apple Shares? Tune into this week's podcast to find out.Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.See Stocks Free >>Tracey Ryniec is the Value Stock Strategist for Zacks.com. She is also the Editor of the Insider Trader and Value Investor services. You can follow her on twitter at @TraceyRyniec and she also hosts the Zacks Market Edge Podcast on iTunes.About Zacks Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. 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These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.Only $1 to See All Zacks' Buys and SellsWe're not kidding.Several years ago, we shocked our members by offering them 30-day access to all our picks for the total sum of only $1. No obligation to spend another cent.Thousands have taken advantage of this opportunity. Thousands did not - they thought there must be a catch. Yes, we do have a reason. We want you to get acquainted with our portfolio services like Surprise Trader, Stocks Under $10, Technology Innovators,and more, that closed 256 positions with double- and triple-digit gains in 2024 alone.See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Visa Inc. (V): Free Stock Analysis Report CocaCola Company (The) (KO): Free Stock Analysis Report American Express Company (AXP): Free Stock Analysis Report Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks