We're just over a month into 2017, so let's look at how the Warren Buffett-led Berkshire Hathaway stock portfolio has done thus far. Berkshire itself is almost completely flat for the year, down 0.09% as of this writing, but some of the company's stock holdings have done quite well. Specifically, five of Berkshire's stocks have gained 10% or more over the first five weeks of the year.
1. Liberty Media (+16.2%)
Liberty Media has been Berkshire's biggest winner thus far in 2017, thanks to impressive growth in its European markets. The company expects the growth to continue as it speeds up its U.K. build activity and makes major investments in its business there. In addition, the company has been aggressively repurchasing its shares, especially in the wake of the Brexit sell-off last year.
2. Moody's (+13.6%)
Ratings agency Moody's has steadily climbed so far in 2017, partially because of its announcement that it had resolved pending civil claims with the Justice Department, 21 states, and D.C. Not only were the claims resolved faster than many experts expected, but the cost to the company will be significantly less than many expected.
3. Apple (+13.5%)
In part, Apple's rally has been due to its strong results from the holiday shopping season. For the quarter, Apple's revenue of $78.4 billion was as high as it has ever been, and the company's earnings and revenue both handily exceeded expectations.
Perhaps most importantly, Apple's service revenue (which includes sales from the App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and others) grew by 18% year-over-year. While this accounts for just 9% of the company's results, it is rapidly becoming an important revenue stream to the company. Furthermore, Apple expects revenue to continue to climb in the current quarter, and CEO Tim Cook said that the company is "excited" about the products in its pipeline.
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