Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Loves These 4 High-Quality Dividend Aristocrat Stocks

If any investor has stood the test of time, it is Warren Buffett. For years, the “Oracle of Omaha” has had a rock-star-like presence in the investing world. His annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting draws literally thousands of loyal fans who are investors. Known for his long buy-and-hold strategies and his massive portfolio of public and private holdings, he remains one of the preeminent investors in the world.

One reason for Berkshire Hathaway’s stunning success over the years is that Buffett and his right-hand man, Charlie Munger, have always tried to stay with stock ideas they understand. That has proven to be a winning hand. In addition, many of the companies in their portfolio pay solid and reliable dividends.

Often when total return investors like Buffett look for companies paying big dividends, they are drawn to the Dividend Aristocrats. The 66 companies that made the cut for the 2022 Dividend Aristocrats list have increased dividends (not just remained the same) for 25 years straight. But the requirements go even further, with the following attributes also mandatory for membership on the aristocrat list:

• Companies must be worth at least $3 billion at the time of each quarterly rebalancing.
• They must have an average daily volume of at least $5 million in transactions for every trailing three-month period at every quarterly rebalancing date.
• They must be a member of the S&P 500.

We screened the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio looking for stocks that were almost members of the Dividend Aristocrat family and found four top companies that Buffett has owned for years. All are also rated Buy across Wall Street. It is important to remember that no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision.

Chevron

This integrated giant is a safer way for investors looking to get positioned in the energy sector, and shares have backed up nicely. Chevron Corp. (NYSE: CVX) engages in integrated energy and chemicals operations worldwide.

The Upstream segment is involved in the exploration, development, production and transportation of crude oil and natural gas; processing, liquefaction, transportation and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas (LNG); transportation of crude oil through pipelines; and transportation, storage and marketing of natural gas, as well as operating a gas-to-liquids plant.