Warren Buffett once famously stated that his "favorite holding period was forever." The reason why Buffett doesn't always hold stocks indefinitely can be found in the rest of his statement in his 1988 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders.

Warren Buffett is known for his investing success, generating market-beating returns over the long run. As chairman, he's helped Berkshire Hathaway deliver a compounded annual gain of more than 19% over 58 years -- that's as the S&P 500 posted a compounded increase of about 10% during that period.

American Express is an iconic finance company. Chevron is an iconic energy company. American Express' stock price has roughly doubled since the end of 2023 while Chevron's stock has stagnated.  Chevron couldn't be more different.

Arguably the world's greatest stock picker isn't picking many stocks these days. Warren Buffett has been a net seller of stocks for eight consecutive quarters. There's a reason Buffett isn't buying many stocks -- and it's the same reason he ranks among the greatest investors of all time.

Berkshire Hathaway chairperson Warren Buffett didn't earn his billions overnight -- he adopted an investing strategy that slowly and steadily built him a fortune. Find Out: 15 Investments

Buffett's biggest holdings include familiar names such as Apple and American Express. The top five ranking as 2025 begins has changed a little since one year ago. Two of Buffett's top stocks especially stand out as good picks right now.