Berkshire Hathaway is now led by Greg Abel after Warren Buffett retired as CEO on Dec. 31 and stepped down as chairman in mid-September, with the company holding a $368 billion investment portfolio. Coca-Cola, American Express and Moody's, held since 1988, 1991 and 2000 respectively, generate yields on Berkshire's cost basis of 65%, 45% and 41%, compared with current market yields of 2.22%, 1.17% and 0.84% as of Oct. 22. The article attributes these high yields to patience and low cost bases, with annual dividends of $2.12, $3.80 and $4.12 per share. It also cites a Hartford Funds and Ned Davis Research study finding dividend payers averaged a 9.2% annual return from 1973 to 2025, versus 4.21% for non-payers.
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