Warren Buffett is an even better investor than you think.
The Oracle of Omaha released his latest annual letter to shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on Saturday. It’s a good excuse to marvel anew at Buffett’s track record, particularly at a time when stock pickers are losing their aura.
Buffett famously likes to invest in companies that are highly profitable and selling at a reasonable price. That formula has routinely beaten the market, according to University of Chicago professor Eugene Fama and Dartmouth professor Kenneth French.
The Fama/French US Big Robust Profitability Research Index — which selects the most profitable 30 percent of large-cap companies — beat the S&P 500 Index by 1.2 percentage points annually from July 1963 to 2017, including dividends, the longest period for which returns are available. The profitability index also beat the S&P 500 in 81 percent of rolling 10-year periods.
Similarly, the Fama/French US Large Value Research Index — which selects the cheapest 30 percent of large-cap companies — beat the S&P 500 by 2.3 percentage points annually from July 1963 to 2017, and in 82 percent of rolling 10-year periods.
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