Think the Magnificent Seven stocks are only way to make money in the S&P 500? Warren Buffett and Walt Disney may beg to differ.
Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and Walt Disney are among the 10 biggest stock moneymakers this year — that aren't in the Magnificent Seven crowd of stocks. That's according to an Investor's Business Daily analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence and Marketsmith.
And so far, these 10 non-Magnificent stocks are sleeper moneymakers. As a group, they added $543 billion in shareholder value just this year. That's already half the Magnificent Seven's gain — highlighting there's still big money to be made in less-obvious S&P 500 stocks.
"Disney's aggressive cost-cutting last year included slashing thousands of jobs and helped the company's earnings per share exceed the analyst estimate," said Jose Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers.
Buffett's Good Year
Thanks to a 10% rise this year so far, Berkshire Hathaway shares added $86.7 billion in investment value single-handedly. That's actually better than magnificent.
Berkshire Hathaway's market value rise this year outstrips three of the Magnificent Seven, including Alphabet, Apple and Tesla. Tesla's value is actually down nearly $190 billion this year. Meanwhile, Buffett's company contributed roughly 5% to the S&P 500's total market value gain this year.
And get this. Berkshire Hathaway isn't even the No. 1 non-Magnificent Seven gainer. That title goes to Eli Lilly, which added nearly $137 billion in market value this year. That's more than 7% of the S&P 500's value gain in 2024 so far. Eli Lilly's stock is up more than 26% this year on optimism for its neurological and weight-loss treatments.
Magic At Disney
After years of languishing, shares of Disney are finally showing some magic.
Shares of the media stock are up more than 22% this year, adding in excess of $37 billion in market value. The stock got a lift after its fourth-quarter profit report on Feb. 7 topped expectations by more than 17%. Analysts are still scrambling to revise their estimates. Now they think Disney's profit will rise more than 23% this year.
One thing's for sure, though. Investors are making big gains outside of the Magnificent Seven.
Looking Magnificent
Top S&P value creators this year outside the Magnificent Seven
| Company | Ticker | Stock YTD % gain | Market value gain, YTD ($ billions) | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Lilly | 26.2% | $137.4 | Health Care | |
| Berkshire Hathaway | 10.0% | $85.5 | Financials | |
| Broadcom | 14.2% | $74.2 | Information Technology | |
| Merck | 16.1% | $44.6 | Health Care | |
| Walt Disney | 22.4% | $37.4 | Communication Services | |
| Advanced Micro Devices | 14.9% | $35.5 | Information Technology | |
| AbbVie | 12.8% | $35.0 | Health Care | |
| Walmart | 7.4% | $31.6 | Consumer Staples | |
| Oracle | 10.7% | $30.9 | Information Technology | |
| Visa | 5.9% | $30.7 | Financials |
