Warren Buffett made headlines around the world yesterday after his shock investment in Apple shares, as revealed in a regulatory filing to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday night.
Although it has been reported that Warren Buffett himself was not behind the decision to purchase Apple shares, the Buffett-led Berkshire Hathaway owned US$1.07 billion of Apple shares as at March 31, 2016. It was one of the company's few forays into the tech sector (Buffett has been happy to admit his lack of understanding of the sector), which is why so many investors expressed their surprise.
As such, it could be that Buffett simply has the required level of faith in his senior investment managers, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, who reportedly made the decision to invest more than US$1 billion in the business. It could also be that Buffett now views Apple as more of a value stock than a tech stock (although there is no reason why it can't be both), thus allowing it to pass through his net.
What will also be of interest to investors, however, is the timing of the purchase. After all, it was only three weeks ago that billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who had previously been very bullish on Apple, sold his entire stake in the business. As quoted by Bloomberg at the time, Icahn said: "I got out because I'm worried about China."
Buffett has developed an incredible reputation for himself as an investor, after generating market-smashing returns over more than five decades at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway. That is likely the reason why investors responded so positively on Monday night after his newest position was revealed, especially in light of those concerns regarding Apple.
However, with one brilliant investor buying and another high-profile investor selling, it is clear that one will be proven wrong this time around.
Although there is certainly a high level of speculation surrounding this one trade in particular, this situation is by no means unique to Apple. At the end of the day, there will always be differences in opinion on individual stocks, sectors and even the economy as a whole.
Take BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) as a perfect example. Investors have long argued about the future of commodity prices, which has had a drastic impact on the movements in the miner's share price.
Bellamy's Australia Ltd (ASX: BAL) is another example right now, with some investors focusing on its growth potential and others fixated on the potential impact regulatory changes in China could have on the business (in a way, this makes Bellamy's situation similar to the one being faced by Apple).
As Peter Lynch once said, "In this business, if you're good, you're right six times out of ten." You're bound to get some wrong, but as Warren Buffett has shown time and time again, investors can more than make up for those shortfalls with their big winners.
