Susan Dziubinski: I’m Susan Dziubinski with Morningstar. Today, we’re talking about the three most widely held stocks among the best concentrated fund managers investing in large US companies. While these stocks don’t all look undervalued today, we think they make great candidates for a watchlist of stocks to buy.
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The top holding among the best fund managers is Microsoft. Now, Microsoft is one of Morningstar’s top picks in the technology sector. Not only has the company carved out a wide economic moat, but Microsoft has emerged as an early leader in artificial intelligence—a position we expect it to maintain for years to come. We forecast Azure growth to accelerate in the second half of the year, and we continue to be impressed with Microsoft’s ability to deliver on margins. We think the stock is set up well for 2025, given its relatively sluggish performance over the past year. The stock looks attractive as it trades below our fair value estimate of $490.
Review Morningstar’s full report on Microsoft.
The second most popular holding among the best fund managers is Amazon. Amazon dominates in e-commerce, and the firm continues to achieve market share gains despite its size. Amazon Web Services is also a clear leader in public cloud services. So, not surprisingly, Morningstar thinks the company has carved out a wide economic moat based on its cost advantages, network effects, intangible assets, and switching costs. Retail demand has remained stable over the past several quarters, and Morningstar expects Amazon’s already good margins to expand as the company’s multihub strategy and increased use of robotics continue to unlock efficiencies. We think Amazon stock is worth $240 per share.
Read Morningstar’s full report on Amazon.
And the third most popular holding among the best fund managers is Apple. Morningstar thinks that Apple’s tight integration of hardware, software, and services has helped the company carve out a wide economic moat, and we expect Apple to remain competitive for two decades or more. Although we think highly of the company and its fundamentals, we think the company’s valuation is a little high, given our expectations for a soft iPhone growth cycle over the next two years. We think Apple stock is worth $200.
Read Morningstar’s full report on Apple.
For more stock ideas, be sure to visit Morningstar.com.
Morningstar senior analysts Dan Romanoff and William Kerwin provided the research behind this segment.
Watch 3 Top Value Stocks to Buy and Hold for 2025 for more from Susan Dziubinski.
The author or authors do not own shares in any securities mentioned in this article. Find out about Morningstar's editorial policies.