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Not every stock in Buffett's portfolio is currently good. Avoid these 2.

Jamie Cameron
6. 3. 2023
7 min read

Usually when investors look at Buffett's portfolio and find a stock they like, they think about buying it. But that's not always a good option. Which 2 stocks from Buffet's portfolio should we currently avoid? And why aren't these stocks currently a good choice, even though Warren Buffett himself has them?

Warren Buffett is one of the most famous investors in history and his investment philosophy has been the subject of countless books and articles. But not every stock he chooses is a good value. In fact, there are two companies that Buffett invested in that investors may want to avoid.

Now, the question that probably comes to everyone's mind is why anyone would avoid stocks that Warren Buffett himself invests in. The answer is simple. The problem may be price. As we all know, Buffett prides himself on buying undervalued stocks, which is important to consider in this case. Buffett could be buying the stock in question at a much lower price than the market is currently trading at. This may then be the main reason why Buffett is profiting from the stock and you are not. So let's avoid this, and take a look at which 2 companies in Buffett's portfolio you should avoid now.

Aon plc. $AON+0.0%

A chart of the share price over the last 5 years.

Aon plc is a multinational professional services company that provides risk management brokerage, insurance and reinsurance services. It is headquartered in London, United Kingdom and operates in more than 120 countries. The company is one of the largest insurance and risk management companies in the world. It has a strong presence in the United States, Europe and Asia and serves a wide range of clients in a variety of industries. The company is known for its expertise in risk management and has a strong reputation for providing high quality services to its clients.

Aon plc operates in risk management, insurance and reinsurance broking. The company provides its customers with a wide range of products and services including:

  • Riskconsulting and advisory services: Aon plc offers risk consulting and advisory services to help its clients identify and manage risks in their business. This includes enterprise risk management, cyber security risk management and environmental risk management.
  • Insurance broker services: Aon plc helps its clients obtain insurance cover by acting as an intermediary between clients and insurance companies. This includes property and casualty insurance, employee benefits insurance and specialty insurance.
  • Reinsurance intermediary services: Aon plc also acts as an intermediary between insurance companies and reinsurers, helping insurers transfer risks to reinsurers.
  • Data and analytics services: Aon plc provides data and analytics services to help its clients better understand and manage the risks in their business. This includes data analytics, actuarial services and catastrophe modelling.
  • Health and Benefits Consulting: Aon plc offers health and benefits consulting services to help its clients design and administer employee benefit plans.

Overall, Aon plc offers a comprehensive range of risk management brokerage, insurance and reinsurance services, as well as data and analytics services and health and benefits consulting services. Its products and services are designed to help its clients manage risk, protect their assets and grow their businesses.

Benefits:

  • Strong reputation: Aon plc is well known and respected in the insurance and risk management industry with a long history of providing high quality services to its clients.
  • Global presence. This enables the company to serve clients in a wide range of locations and industries.
  • Diversified products and services: Aon plc offers a wide range of products and services, including risk consulting, insurance broking, reinsurance broking, data analytics, and health and benefits consulting. This diversification helps the company mitigate risk and adapt to changing market conditions.
  • Strong financial performance: Aon plc has delivered steady revenue growth with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3% over the past five years and has consistently generated strong profits.

Disadvantages:

  • Intense competition: Aon plc operates in a highly competitive industry with many large and established competitors. The company may need to invest more in marketing and product development to maintain its market position.
  • Regulatory changes: changes in regulations may affect the Company's operations and financial performance. This includes changes in insurance regulations, privacy laws and other regulatory requirements.
  • Economic Downturns: Economic downturns could affect the Company's financial performance as clients may reduce their spending on risk management and insurance services during difficult economic times.

Despite being a quality company that even Buffett himself believes in, analysts see the problem mainly in the share price. Analysts at Morningstar estimate the value of the stock at about $261.

Underlying revenue growth remained solid at 5% in the fourth quarter. The company modestly underperformed its Marsh McLennan $MMC+0.1% peer in organic growth, but for the most part, Aon still seems to be experiencing some issues. Still, the stock is a bit overvalued, as the market seems overly focused on the strong growth the company has seen recently, as opposed to the more modest level of growth we expect over the long term.

Marsh & McLennan $MMC+0.1%

A chart of the share price over the past 5 years.

Marsh & McLennan is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. The company operates through four main business segments: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman.

Marsh is the largest of the four segments and provides insurance broking and risk management services to businesses and organizations of all sizes. Guy Carpenter is a reinsurance broker that helps insurance companies manage their risk portfolios. Mercer provides consulting and outsourcing services related to employee benefits, pensions and investments. Oliver Wyman is a management consulting firm that advises clients on strategy, operations, risk management and organizational transformation.

The firm has a strong market position with a global presence and a large client base. Marsh & McLennan's competitive advantage lies in its ability to provide integrated solutions across its four segments, enabling it to offer clients a comprehensive approach to risk management and strategy.

Benefits:

  • Diversified business model: Marsh & McLennan operates through four major segments, providing a diversified business model that helps mitigate the risks associated with any segment or market.
  • Strong market position: the company has a strong market position with a global presence and a large client base.
  • Integrated Solutions: Marsh & McLennan's ability to provide integrated solutions across its four segments enables it to offer clients a comprehensive approach to risk management and strategy.

Disadvantages:

  • Exposure to market risks: The Company is exposed to risks associated with global economic and political instability as well as regulatory and insurance market changes.
  • Intense competition: Marsh & McLennan faces competition from other professional services firms as well as smaller specialty players in each of its segments.
  • Dependence on key clients: Marsh & McLennan depends on a small number of key clients for a significant portion of its revenues, which increases the company's vulnerability to fluctuations in their business performance.
  • LitigationRisk: As a provider of risk management and insurance services, Marsh & McLennan is exposed to potential litigation risks arising from disputes with clients or insurers.

Again, this is a quality company, but Morningstar analysts still recommend that investors not buy the stock at this time. In fact, they agree on a fair price of $137.

In the fourth quarter, Marsh McLennan saw relatively strong underlying growth in both parts of its business, insurance and consulting. We appreciate that the company is enjoying near-term tailwinds, but believe a return to the more modest growth it has historically enjoyed is inevitable. We view the stock as overvalued and believe the market is overly focused on recent performance.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although Warren Buffett is a legendary investor, not every stock he invests in may be a good choice for other investors. Aon plc and Marsh & McLennan are two companies that investors may want to avoid due to their slow earnings growth and high valuations. While these companies are well established and have a strong presence in their respective sectors, there may be better investment opportunities available for investors looking to achieve high returns.

WARNING: I am not a financial advisor, and this material does not serve as a financial or investment recommendation. The content of this material is purely informational.

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