The 3 Best Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy With $3,000 Right Now

Investors looking for stocks to buy have much to learn from Warren Buffett. Buffett is considered a legendary investor and leader for a reason. In the 60 years through 2024, Buffett's company Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) generated compound annual returns of almost 20%, nearly doubling the S&P 500's (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) returns, including dividends, over the period.

Buffett owns a very large portfolio of stocks via Berkshire Hathaway, most of which are companies he has remained invested in for several years, even decades. Some of these Buffett stocks look like compelling buys now, such as these three. You could start with a small investment. If you have $3,000 right now, you could diversify and invest $1,000 each in these three Buffett stocks today.

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The only EV stock Buffett owns

A company practically no one had heard about until a year or two ago has now zoomed past Tesla to become the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer. At Berkshire Hathaway's 2024 annual meeting, Warren Buffett revealed how his right-hand man and vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, the late Charlie Munger, urged him to buy shares in BYD (OTC: BYDDY).

Although Berkshire's stake in BYD slid below 5% by mid-2024 -- which is also why it is no longer required by regulation to disclose its stake or sale in the EV maker -- BYD continues to make huge strides.

Today, BYD is the largest NEV company and the second-largest battery maker in China, the latter being a huge competitive advantage. BYD has significant global presence and is expanding aggressively and going all-in on technologies like self-driving.

BYD just delivered its fifth straight month of record sales in April. In the first fourth months of 2025, BYD's new energy-vehicle (plug-in hybrids and EVs) sales surged 47% year over year. In sharp contrast, Tesla's sales fell 13% in the first three months of 2025, dropping to multiyear lows.

BYD's revenue jumped 36% in its first quarter, while its net income doubled year over year. The EV maker also attributed a 33% rise in its inventories to rising orders, indicating strong demand for BYD's passenger and commercial vehicles. Despite BYD's stock gaining momentum in one year, a P/E ratio of 22 still looks like a bargain for such a rapidly growing company.

One of the best Buffett stocks to own

Buffett first bought shares in Visa (NYSE: V) in 2011, around three years after the company went public. The consistent growth in Visa's revenue, earnings, and cash flows since is nothing short of phenomenal. In just the past decade, the payment processing giant has more than tripled its net earnings and free cash flows.

V data by YCharts

Visa accounts for 37% of all credit cards in circulation worldwide. The company does not lend or issue cards, but simply processes transactions and earns fees on them. It is, therefore, also a high-margin business, and a massive one too -- Visa processed transactions worth a whopping $15.9 trillion over its network in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024.

In the first two quarters of its fiscal year 2025 (Visa's second quarter ended March 31), Visa generated $9.4 billion in free cash flow, the bulk of it was used to repurchase shares. Visa has consistently made large share repurchases, reflecting management's confidence in the company's future prospects. In April, Visa announced a fresh share buyback program of $30 billion. Visa also pays a dividend.

For a no-brainer stock to own, Visa checks nearly every box possible. It is a leader in its industry, runs a hugely profitable business, has delivered phenomenal numbers over decades, enjoys a strong brand power, is innovating and deploying technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), and has big growth opportunities as more nations go cashless and digital. Visa, therefore, is one of the best Buffett stocks to buy.

Berkshire Hathaway stock is in a class of its own

Buffett's own company, Berkshire Hathaway, is inarguably one of the Buffett stocks you could own. While Berkshire's massive 20% compound annual growth over the past six decades is testimony to how powerful the business is, it should continue to reward shareholders richly for years to come.

That's because owning a large portfolio of stocks is only one part of Berkshire Hathaway's story. Its strength lies in the large number of diversified businesses it owns and runs, most of which are also recession-resistant -- something investors will appreciate amid the present volatile market conditions will.

Berkshire Hathaway owns insurance businesses like GEICO, one of the largest railroad systems in the U.S. called BNSF Railway, four regulated utilities in the U.S., electric transmission and distribution assets, natural gas pipelines, and renewable assets. It also owns real estate brokerage firms and several manufacturing businesses that cater to nearly every major industry.

BRK.A data by YCharts

Importantly, Buffett-led Berkshire Hathaway has a rock-solid balance sheet, and had a cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments balance of a whopping $334 billion, as of Dec. 31, 2024. That's a huge sum of money, and should steer Berkshire Hathaway to new heights as Buffett puts all of that money into use.

Should you invest $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway right now?

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Neha Chamaria has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, Tesla, and Visa. The Motley Fool recommends BYD Company. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.