As of late September 2025, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK‑B) sits near the $500 mark after a strong run into April and a summer of consolidation. The conglomerate’s breadth—insurance, rail, energy, manufacturing, services, retail, and a large equity portfolio—provides ballast, while a substantial cash position offers optionality. Recent fundamentals show solid profitability and operating efficiency alongside modest top‑line softness year over year. With no dividend and a historically cautious approach to big acquisitions, investor focus remains on book‑value compounding, underwriting discipline, and the pace of capital deployment. Over the next three years, the path of interest rates and insurance pricing cycles are likely to dominate outcomes: higher short‑term yields bolster investment income, while a softer rate environment could lift equity valuations but reduce cash returns. The stock’s below‑market beta underscores its appeal as a defensive compounder.

Alibaba enters the next three years with a sturdier financial base and a clearer strategy focus on cloud and AI. As of its most recent quarter (6/30/2025), the company reports a 14.63% profit margin and 14.13% operating margin on trailing‑twelve‑month revenue of 1T, alongside 416.41B in cash and 253.27B in total debt. Earnings momentum is improving (quarterly earnings growth yoy: 66.70%), though top‑line growth remains modest (quarterly revenue growth yoy: 1.80%). The stock has rebounded strongly, up 62.00% over the past year, closing the week of 2025‑09‑26 at 171.91 and approaching its 52‑week high of 180.16. Dividend distributions resumed (trailing annual dividend yield: 4.34%; forward yield: 0.61%) with a 12.21% payout ratio. Strategic updates include Alibaba Cloud’s planned expansion into Europe and South America and continued investments in its Qwen AI model family.

Ahold Delhaize (AD.AS) enters the next three years with steady top-line growth, resilient cash generation and a defensive profile, but with margin and balance-sheet constraints to navigate. Over the last year, revenue reached 91.65B while profit and operating margins stood at 2.02% and 3.98%, respectively. The stock has traded in the mid-30s in recent months, with low beta (0.27) underscoring its defensive nature. Investors continue to focus on execution in the U.S., digital profitability, and disciplined capital returns. The forward dividend rate is 1.18 (yield around 3.5%) with a payout ratio of 57.92%. Recent headlines include a sustainability initiative with Danone and The Nature Conservancy, a Jefferies upgrade on the ADR, and a reported rise in short interest on the U.S. OTC line—all shaping sentiment. With cash flow (OCF 6.54B; LFCF 3.09B) and scale, Ahold looks positioned for stability, though pricing, cost inflation, and debt remain watch areas.

The Coca‑Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global non‑alcoholic beverage leader, selling sparkling soft drinks, juices, waters, sports and energy drinks in virtually every major market. Its portfolio—anchored by Coca‑Cola, Diet Coke/Coke Zero Sugar, Sprite and Fanta—competes with PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper, Nestlé’s water brands, and local private labels. The company operates an asset‑light concentrate model alongside an extensive independent bottling system.

As of <today>, KO reports trailing‑twelve‑month revenue of $47.06B and net income of $12.18B (profit margin 25.89%), with an operating margin of 34.66% and EBITDA of $15.79B. Quarterly revenue growth is 1.40% year over year, while quarterly earnings growth is 58.00% year over year. Balance sheet and liquidity metrics include total cash of $14.3B, total debt of $50.21B, a current ratio of 1.21 and total debt‑to‑equity of 166.37%. The stock’s beta is 0.43. The forward annual dividend rate is $2.04 (forward yield 3.09%; payout ratio 70.57%), with the next dividend date on 10/1/2025 and recent ex‑dividend date on 9/15/2025. Over the last 52 weeks the shares are down 8.09% versus the S&P 500 up 15.10%.