Key Points

• BYD isn't a typical Buffett stock, but has qualities that fit his philosophy.

• VeriSign makes the internet function as we know it today.

• Buffett loves Coca-Cola for the soda as well as as the company.

Warren Buffett is one of the most legendary figures on Wall Street. The longtime CEO of Berkshire Hathaway turned the company into a dominant conglomerate that has its hands in everything, including real estate, insurance, energy, consumer goods, and healthcare.

Under Buffett's leadership, Berkshire's portfolio gained 5,502,284% from 1965 to the end of 2024. By way of comparison, the S&P 500 gained 39,054%, including dividends, in that same period. Now 94 and planning a well-deserved retirement at the end of the year, Buffett undoubtedly belongs on the Mount Rushmore of investors.

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Buffett's philosophy involves buying quality businesses that have distinct competitive advantages. He invests for the long term, often holding stocks for decades, and tends to prefer companies with strong management, reliable earnings, and a consistent dividend.

Now that the calendar has turned to July and we're halfway through the year, this is a good time to take a cue from the Oracle of Omaha himself and choose stocks that are held in Buffett's portfolio. If you're looking for a new investment, you can't go wrong with these three Warren Buffett stocks: BYD (OTC: BYDDY), VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN), and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO).

BYD: An outlier that fits the Buffett mold

On the surface, BYD doesn't look like a Buffett stock. The Chinese company, which got its start in 1995 as a rechargeable battery maker, now is one of the world's biggest manufacturers of electric vehicles (EVs). It also works in rail transit, new energy, electronics, and power storage. Berkshire's stake in BYD is more than 162 million shares, valued at $2.5 billion.

Berkshire actually got involved with BYD because of the influence of Charlie Munger, the longtime Buffett confidant and late Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman. But the company fits with Berkshire's portfolio because of the key position it has in the Chinese EV market. BYD is by far the biggest supplier of EVs in China, delivering 3.52 million vehicles in 2024. The company in second place, Wuling, had just 673,279 deliveries.

Earnings for the first quarter showed revenue of $23.77 billion, up 36% from a year ago. Profits totaled $1.27 billion, up 100% from the same quarter a year ago.

VeriSign makes the internet functional

VeriSign is one of those businesses that you may not know a lot about, but as it turns out, you use its products every day. The Virginia-based company provides domain name registry services and internet infrastructure -- in short, it's the exclusive registrar for websites that end in .com or .net.

The company says it provides support for 169.8 million domain names that end with .com or .net, and processes more than 428.1 billion domain name system (DNS) queries each day. The scope of its work, and its massive competitive moat are exactly the qualities that Buffett looks for when choosing a stock.

First-quarter financials included revenue of $402 million, up 4.7% from a year ago. Net income was $199 million and $2.10 per year, compared to $194 million and $1.92 per share in the first quarter of 2024. Buffett feels strongly enough about VeriSign that Berkshire owns 14.3% of the company, holding nearly 13.3 million shares.

Coca-Cola is a longtime Buffett favorite

Buffett is passionate about Coca-Cola, both as a beverage and as a company. He famously downs five cans of Coca-Cola per day, and once told Fortune magazine that he gets 25% of his daily calories from the carbonated drink.

But Coca-Cola does a lot more than its namesake soda. As people started looking for healthier options, Coca-Cola expanded its offerings to include bottled water, sports drinks, tea, and juices. It's even started a line of alcoholic beverages.

Earnings for the first quarter showed revenue down 2%, to $11.1 billion. But on the plus side, the company managed to improve its operating margin to 32.9% from just 18.9% in the first quarter of 2024. And earnings per share grew 5%, to $0.77 per share.

Berkshire owns 400 million shares of Coca-Cola stock, representing a 9.3% share. Its stake is worth a whopping $28.45 billion.

Should you invest $1,000 in BYD Company right now?

Before you buy stock in BYD Company, consider this:

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Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $699,558!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $976,677!*

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Patrick Sanders has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway and VeriSign. The Motley Fool recommends BYD Company. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Key Points

• SharkNinja received a lofty price target from Jefferies on Monday.

• Despite rising 150% since its market debut, the company trades at only 21 times forward earnings.

• "Manically consumer-focused," SharkNinja is quietly becoming a powerhouse in the consumer goods sector.

Shares of quickly growing consumer goods stock SharkNinja (NYSE: SN) rose 11% as of market close Thursday, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The product design and technology company, famous for its consumer goods products seen on numerous infomercials and social media clips, received a $175 price target from Jefferies on Monday, which sent its stock higher.

Compared to its current stock price of $107, this price target implies upside north of 60%. Just one week removed from being added to Time magazine's 2025 list of the 100 Most Influential Companies, this upgrade added further optimism to SharkNinja's stock, which is now up 150% since its initial public offering in 2023.

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SharkNinja: More than the infomercials you've seen

Anchored by its two billion-dollar brands (Shark and Ninja), SharkNinja is a product design and technology innovation hub, home to over 5,200 patents that serve its consumer goods customers. The company, describing itself as "maniacally consumer-focused," operates in (and disrupts) 36 subcategories (such as robot vacuums, air purifiers, blenders, or air fryers) by iterating products to the nth degree to reach unparalleled customer satisfaction.

Thanks to its relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction and burgeoning popularity, SharkNinja commands a premium price for its "aspirational brands," slightly ahead of more commoditized peers.

After growing sales by 24% annually since 2018, management has conservatively guided for 12% revenue growth in 2025. More importantly, however, management expects earnings per share of $4.95 for the year, which leaves SharkNinja shares trading at a reasonable 21 times forward earnings.

With the company entering 15 new subcategories over the last three years -- while launching roughly 25 new products annually -- SharkNinja's long-standing innovation prowess looks poised to power the stock to new highs.

Should you invest $1,000 in SharkNinja right now?

Before you buy stock in SharkNinja, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and SharkNinja wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $692,914!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $963,866!*

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*Stock Advisor returns as of June 30, 2025

Josh Kohn-Lindquist has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends SharkNinja. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN) shares took off Friday morning after the company released first-quarter earnings and declared a dividend for the first time. Its solid results also allowed the company to raise revenue guidance for the full year.

Investors jumped into what has been one of the big stock market winners so far this year. Shares jumped 9.3% higher as of 11:35 a.m. ET, giving the stock a gain of 33% year to date.

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VeriSign is a big Warren Buffett holding

The initiation of a quarterly cash dividend surely made shareholders happy, too. That group of investors includes Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B).

VeriSign isn't what most investors would picture as a Buffett holding. The company manages internet domain names and provides critical internet infrastructure for managing and maintaining security. Buffett typically steers clear of technology stocks, but Berkshire has owned VeriSign for more than a decade, and it added to its VeriSign holding in the fourth quarter. That holding was valued at about $2.75 billion at the end of Q4, putting VeriSign just out of Berkshire's 10 largest holdings.

Shareholder-friendly moves

Buffett likely continues to be happy with VeriSign's business. The company saw both revenue and operating income grow almost 5% year over year. It raised 2025's full-year guidance for both of those metrics as well.

VeriSign also declared a cash dividend of $0.77 per share, giving the stock a forward dividend yield of about 1.1%. It also repurchased 1 million shares at an average price of $230 per share. Those are signs of a company with strong free cash flow. The share repurchases should continue, as VeriSign still had almost $800 million authorized for that purpose as of the end of the quarter.

This is a company that has been delivering consistent financial results with strong cash flow. And note that it should feel minimal impacts from the current tariff uncertainty. It's not immune to currency fluctuations and economic slowdowns, but it looks to be a good stock to own right now.

Should you invest $1,000 in VeriSign right now?

Before you buy stock in VeriSign, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and VeriSign wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $591,533!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $652,319!*

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Howard Smith has positions in Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway and VeriSign. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

With the wide variety of stocks in the market, it can be tough to narrow your focus to those that possess long-term potential. That's exactly what you need to do, though, to help to grow your investment portfolio in the long run. Buying and owning solid growth stocks with strong business models and catalysts can help you to achieve your investment objectives.

Here are three solid businesses that you should feel comfortable buying and owning for the long term.

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SharkNinja

SharkNinja (NYSE: SN) is a global product design and technology company that creates "innovative lifestyle solutions" for its consumers. The company boasts more than 5,200 patents and sells its products in 35 markets under 36 subcategories. SharkNinja's revenue, net income, and free-cash-flow growth has been impressive over the past several years.

Metric	2022	2023	2024
Revenue	$3.717 billion	$4.254 billion	$5.529 billion
Operating income	$321.374 million	$373.564 million	$644.162 million
Net income	$232.354 million	$167.078 million	$438.705 million
Free cash flow	$110.530 million	$148.800 million	$294.439 million

Data source: SharkNinja.

The company expects net sales for 2025 to increase by 10% to 12% year over year, and for adjusted net income per share to increase by 12% to 15% year over year. Management credits SharkNinja's success to four key factors: disruptive innovation, a global supply chain, 360-degree marketing, and omni-channel distribution. By harnessing these four aspects along with a team of more than 1,000 cross-functional engineers and designers, SharkNinja continues to push boundaries with the release of 25 new products last year.

Management believes SharkNinja can continue to deliver long-term growth with its three-pillar strategy: grow market share in existing categories, enter adjacent and new sub-categories, and international expansion. Management is confident it can achieve this as it engages more retailers and releases more innovative products. Last year, the company introduced new subcategories, including coolers, frozen drink makers, and skin care, to capture a broader range of customers. By doing so, SharkNinja believes that it can grow its total addressable market and widen its competitive moat.

For 2025, the business plans to focus on growing its gross margin while remaining customer-centric, while also pursuing a competitive edge by building up a team of skilled employees.

The New York Times

The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) is a diversified media company offering quality, independent journalism to more than 11 million subscribers globally. The company successfully increased its subscriber base over time, resulting in consistently rising revenue, net income and free cash flows.

Metric	2022	2023	2024
Revenue	$2.308 billion	$2.426 billion	$2.586 billion
Operating income	$201.967 million	$276.272 million	$351.096 million
Net income	$173.905 million	$232.387 million	$293.825 million
Free cash flow	$113.726 million	$337.949 million	$381.339 million

Data source: The New York Times.

In the latest quarter ending Dec. 31, 2024, The New York Times added 350,000 net digital-only subscribers, pushing its membership base past 11.4 million. The average revenue per user (ARPU) also rose 4.4% year over year to $9.65 as the company implemented higher prices for both its traditional subscribers and "bundled" subscribers, which get access to the company's digital properties such as Wirecutter, content on the New York Times website, mobile applications, and other products. The board also approved a $350 million share repurchase plan and announced a 5% year-over-year increase in its quarterly dividend per share to $0.18.

The New York Times expects this positive momentum to continue in the first quarter of 2025. It expects its digital-only subscription revenue to post a year-over-year increase of between 14% and 17%. Total subscription revenue is projected to rise by 7% to 10% year over year.

Last year saw The New York Times ranked at the top of news channels once again in time spent per visitor. Every product within the company's portfolio has evolved, along with a new Games app and expanded sports coverage.

Management has ambitious plans to deliver more value to readers and continue to grow its digital subscriber base. The company also lined up a slate of new content, shows, features, and games that will be released this year. This, along with plans to beef up its multimedia offerings and package with its award-winning news content, should result in healthy subscriber additions and also higher ARPU, with The New York Times continuing to grow its net income and dividends for the foreseeable future.

Roper Technologies

Roper Technologies (NASDAQ: ROP) designs and develops software and engineered solutions for diverse industries such as healthcare, food, water, and construction. The company demonstrated consistent revenue, net income, and free-cash-flow growth over the years.

Metric	2022	2023	2024
Revenue	$5.372 billion	$6.178 billion	$7.039 billion
Operating income	$1.525 billion	$1.745 billion	$1.997 billion
Net income	$985.6 million	$1.368 billion	$1.549 billion
Free cash flow	$664.3 million	$1.927 billion	$2.282 billion

Data source: Roper Technologies. Note: Net income excludes earnings from discontinued operations.

This steadily rising free cash flow enabled Roper Technologies to once again raise its dividend, making it an impressive 32 consecutive years of dividend increases. The latest quarterly dividend of $0.825 represents a 10% year-over-year increase.

For 2025, the company expects to grow revenue by 10% year over year, of which 6% to 7% will represent organic growth. Management sees higher demand for mission-critical solutions and is confident it can expand its recurring revenue base. This year should also see meaningful contributions from the acquisitions that Roper Technologies conducted in 2024. Looking ahead, the company has $5 billion on standby for acquisitions and has identified a large pipeline of attractive acquisition targets.

In March, Roper Technologies acquired CentralReach, a provider of cloud-native software that enables the administration of applied behavior analysis therapy, for around $1.65 billion. Management expects this acquisition to deliver 20%-plus organic revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) growth.

Management has outlined long-term goals that include generating double-digit revenue growth through disciplined capital deployment, and compound its free cash flow by a mid-teens percentage. With the business delivering on these objectives, investors can be confident that it will continue to do well.

Should you invest $1,000 in The New York Times Co. right now?

Before you buy stock in The New York Times Co., consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and The New York Times Co. wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $532,771!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $593,970!*

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*Stock Advisor returns as of April 21, 2025

Royston Yang has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends The New York Times Co. The Motley Fool recommends Roper Technologies and SharkNinja. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.