Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway pulls in roughly $1.26 billion a year in dividends from just six stocks in its equity portfolio, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. That figure tends to call investor attention, and many read Berkshire's ownership as a green light to follow.
Before you use these holdings to check up on your financial health, position size matters more than the shared dividend label suggests. Some are anchor bets worth tens of billions of dollars. Others barely register in the portfolio. That gap explains why a big dividend check is not the same as a strong buy signal.
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The Chevron stake that anchors Berkshire's dividend income
Chevron (NYSE:CVX) is Berkshire's largest source of dividend income. As of March 31, 2026, Berkshire held roughly 84.4 million shares worth about $17.5 billion, or 6.64% of the portfolio, according to its Q1 2026 13F filing. At Chevron's $7.12 annualized dividend, that stake generates roughly $600 million a year.
Chevron raised its dividend for the 38th consecutive year in 2025 and returned $27 billion to shareholders in 2024, according to its 2025 proxy statement.
What Berkshire's own trim might signal
CEO Greg Abel cut the position by about a third in Q1 2026, selling roughly $8 billion of shares as the stock hit a record high, according to Bloomberg. The move could suggest even long-term energy bulls are reducing crude-price exposure.
The Kraft Heinz bet Buffett has publicly admitted misjudging
Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) is Berkshire's second-largest dividend contributor. Berkshire held 325.6 million shares as of March 31, 2026, worth about $7.3 billion and representing a 27.5% stake. At the $1.60 annualized dividend, that generates roughly $521 million a year.
What Buffett has said on the record
Buffett told CNBC in 2019 that Berkshire had "overpaid for Kraft," calling the merger a misjudgment. When Kraft Heinz announced plans to split back into two companies in 2025, he told CNBC he was "disappointed" with the decision, according to Fortune.
Why the yield still tempts some investors
Shares yield around 6% at recent prices, well above the S&P 500 average. Some value investors see room for a turnaround, though Buffett noted in 2019 that weaker packaged-food brands have lost ground to private-label alternatives at Costco and Walmart.
The Sirius XM subscription bet many investors keep questioning
Sirius XM Holdings (NASDAQ:SIRI) is Berkshire's next-largest dividend contributor. Berkshire held roughly 124.8 million shares worth about $2.9 billion as of March 31, 2026, representing a 37.1% stake in the company, according to CNBC. At the $1.08 annualized dividend, that stake generates approximately $135 million a year.
The business faces several crosscurrents worth weighing:
- Free cash flow is projected to reach $1.5 billion in 2027, according to IndexBox.
- Self-pay subscribers fell to 31.3 million at year-end 2025, a decline of about 301,000.
- An April 2026 advertising partnership with YouTube extended the company's ad-tech reach.
- Shares are down more than 55% over the past five years, even after a rally in the first half of 2026.
The Constellation Brands stake Berkshire just slashed
Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) owns Modelo, Corona, and Robert Mondavi wines. Berkshire held just 632,890 shares worth about $95 million as of March 31, 2026, or 0.04% of the portfolio, after cutting the position by roughly 95% in Q1 2026, according to Seeking Alpha. At Constellation's $4.11 annualized dividend rate, that stake pays Berkshire around $2.6 million a year.
Why the direction of the trade matters
Berkshire first disclosed a Constellation position in Q4 2024, then wound it down over subsequent quarters. The direction of that trade may signal weakening conviction more than the small remaining stake size suggests.
The Macy's surprise Berkshire added in Q1
Macy's (NYSE:M) joined Berkshire's portfolio as a new position in Q1 2026, according to CNBC. Berkshire held 3.04 million shares worth about $55 million as of March 31, 2026, or roughly 0.02% of the portfolio. At Macy's $0.77 annualized dividend, that stake generates about $2.3 million a year.
What might have caught Berkshire's attention
Macy's has been executing a multi-year turnaround plan focused on closing underperforming stores and investing in higher-productivity locations. Shares yield around 5% at recent prices.
At 0.02% of the portfolio, the position could reflect an exploratory bet rather than a conviction call. Retail continues to face pressure from e-commerce competition and shifting consumer habits.
The Jefferies stake investors often overlook
Jefferies Financial Group (NYSE:JEF) is one of Berkshire's smallest disclosed public equity positions. Berkshire held 433,558 shares worth about $18 million as of March 31, 2026, or 0.01% of its portfolio. At Jefferies' current dividend rate, the position generates roughly $700,000 a year.
A stake this small could serve informational or relationship purposes more than reflect meaningful capital allocation. Berkshire's outsized dividend income comes from Chevron and Kraft Heinz.
What Jefferies offers on its own merits
Jefferies operates an investment bank and asset management business, and its dividend has been raised multiple times in recent years.
Bottom line
The $1.26 billion in annual dividends flowing to Berkshire from these six stocks tells six different stories. Chevron and Kraft Heinz alone account for more than $1 billion of the total. The other four contribute a combined $140 million or so, and three sit below 0.05% of the portfolio.
If you plan to start investing in dividend stocks, the size and direction of Berkshire's bets could offer more signal than the raw dividend number. A position Berkshire is actively trimming, or one that represents a rounding error, may not carry the same conviction as an anchor holding. Judging each company on its own fundamentals could serve you better than treating the Buffett brand as a shortcut.
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