S&P 500 investors are playing it safer in 2025 — so Warren Buffett's careful stock-picking is in style again.

Warren Buffett is widely considered one of the greatest investors ever because he has delivered excellent returns for a long time. The Oracle of Omaha's investing strategy was effective 10 years ago.

Warren Buffett is widely considered the greatest investor. From 1965 through 2023, his conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, delivered an astounding 4,384,748% total return to shareholders, or nearly 20% on an annualized basis.

Has Warren Buffett given up on stocks amid overstretched valuations? That’s the big question, as the “Oracle of Omaha” has been a net seller in recent months.

Buffett added to existing stakes in six stocks in 2024 and initiated new positions in four stocks. Some of these 10 stocks could be poised to deliver solid returns in 2025. The best of the bunch offers an attractive valuation and a juicy dividend yield.

In a famous Arthur Conan Doyle story, “The Adventure of Silver Blaze,” Sherlock Holmes draws the attention of Scotland Yard’s Inspector Gregory to the “curious incident of the dog in the night-time.” Gregory,

Buffett has trimmed some stocks more than others. Integrated oil and gas company Chevron (NYSE: CVX), for example, is Berkshire's fifth-largest position, and Buffett only sold small amounts in the first and second quarters of 2024 and didn't sell any in the third quarter.

Buffett has been trimming some of Berkshire Hathaway's biggest stock positions as valuations on Wall Street climb higher. He originally took a position in internet stock Verisign in 2012, but hasn't added to it in over a decade.

Investors can often benefit from following the recent movements and decisions made by the biggest names in the market, especially if they can work through reverse engineering some of the reasoning behind these decisions.