Top 100 Greatest Stock Picks of All Time

1988 — 20x return and counting

Buffett poured $1.3 billion into Coca-Cola in 1988 after the crash of '87, buying roughly 7% of the company. He never sold a single share. Berkshire's annual dividend income from Coke alone now exceeds his entire original investment — every single year.

Buffett drinks five Cokes a day and credits the beverage for keeping him alive. He once said, 'I'm one-quarter Coca-Cola.'

1992 — $1 billion profit in a single day

Soros bet $10 billion against the British pound on Black Wednesday, September 16, 1992, forcing the Bank of England to withdraw from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. He made over $1 billion in profit in a single day and became known forever as 'The Man Who Broke the Bank of England.'

Soros's Quantum Fund returned 32% annualized over 30 years. The pound trade alone generated a return that most hedge funds never see in a lifetime.

2007 — $15 billion profit

Paulson saw the housing bubble when almost nobody else did and built a massive short position against subprime mortgage-backed securities. His firm made $15 billion in 2007 alone, with Paulson personally earning nearly $4 billion — the greatest single-year trade in Wall Street history.

Paulson was a relatively unknown merger-arb manager before the trade. He had to convince investors that housing could actually go down — many laughed at him.

1976-1996 — 100x+ return

Buffett first discovered GEICO as a 20-year-old Columbia student in 1951, investing $10,282. He sold too early but came back in 1976 when the company was near bankruptcy, buying shares for $2. He kept buying until Berkshire owned it all in 1996. GEICO became one of the most profitable insurance companies in history.

Buffett took a train to Washington D.C. on a Saturday and banged on GEICO's door until someone let him in. The janitor directed him to Lorimer Davidson, who gave him a four-hour masterclass in insurance.

1977-1990 — 25x return

Peter Lynch loaded up on Fannie Mae during his legendary run at Fidelity Magellan, making it one of his largest and most profitable positions. He recognized that Fannie Mae's dominant position in the mortgage market made it a cash machine, and he rode the stock for enormous gains over more than a decade.

Lynch called Fannie Mae one of his favorite 'stalwarts' — boring companies that quietly compound wealth while nobody is paying attention.

2016-present — 6x return, $170B+ profit

Buffett began buying Apple in 2016 at around $26 (split-adjusted), eventually building a position worth over $170 billion. At 85 years old, the Oracle of Omaha made the biggest tech bet of his career and it became Berkshire's largest holding by far — proving you're never too old to learn new tricks.

Buffett admitted he doesn't fully understand the technology but recognized Apple as a consumer products company with an incredibly sticky ecosystem. He watches his grandkids and their iPhones.

1929 — $100 million profit

The 'Boy Plunger' of Wall Street shorted the entire market before the Great Crash of 1929, making approximately $100 million — equivalent to roughly $1.7 billion today. While millions were wiped out, Livermore walked away as one of the richest men in America.

Livermore made and lost several fortunes in his career. His trading rules, documented in 'Reminiscences of a Stock Operator,' are still studied by traders a century later.

2005-2007 — 489% fund return

Dr. Michael Burry, a former neurologist running a small hedge fund from his home office, was one of the first investors to identify the subprime mortgage crisis. He convinced Goldman Sachs to create credit default swaps so he could bet against mortgage bonds. His Scion Capital returned 489% from 2000 to 2008.

Burry's investors tried to pull their money and sued him while he was losing on the trade. He locked up redemptions and held firm. When the trade paid off, those same investors were very, very quiet.

1989 — Massive returns on the Berlin Wall fall

When the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, Druckenmiller immediately recognized the implications and went massively long the German mark and German stocks. Working under Soros at the Quantum Fund, he built enormous positions that generated spectacular returns as German reunification unfolded.

Druckenmiller also helped execute Soros's pound short in 1992. He's said his biggest mistake was ever selling a winner too early — his philosophy is to pile into what's working.

1977-1990 — 25x return

Lynch famously bought Dunkin' Donuts because he loved the coffee and noticed the stores were always packed. This 'invest in what you know' approach became his signature philosophy. The stock was one of many multi-baggers in the Magellan Fund during his record-setting 13-year run that averaged 29% annually.

Lynch's 'invest in what you know' philosophy came directly from walking around malls and noticing which stores had the longest lines. He turned everyday observations into billions.

1955 — Held until death, 4,000%+ return

Fisher bought Motorola in 1955 and held the stock until his death in 2004. He recognized the company's relentless innovation culture and its potential in the emerging electronics industry. Over nearly 50 years, the position returned thousands of percent.

Fisher's book 'Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits' (1958) introduced the concept of 'scuttlebutt' — talking to customers, suppliers, and competitors to research a company. Buffett says he's '85% Graham, 15% Fisher.'

1964 — 100x+ lifetime return

When the Salad Oil Scandal of 1963 sent American Express stock crashing, a young Buffett put 40% of his partnership's assets into the stock. He recognized that the brand and the traveler's check business were completely undamaged — customers were still using their cards everywhere. The investment returned over 100x.

Buffett actually went to restaurants and shops in Omaha to watch whether people were still using their American Express cards after the scandal. They were. He bought aggressively.

2019-2021 — $53K turned into $48 million

Keith Gill, a financial analyst from Massachusetts posting as 'DeepFuckingValue' on Reddit and 'Roaring Kitty' on YouTube, identified GameStop as deeply undervalued at around $5 per share. His thesis and diamond hands conviction sparked the greatest retail investor movement in history, sending the stock above $480.

Gill wore a headband and cat t-shirts during his YouTube streams. He testified before Congress in a red headband and said he liked the stock — and meant it. His original thesis was a straightforward value play.

1972 — $25M invested, $2B+ in cumulative profits

Buffett bought See's Candies in 1972 for $25 million. Charlie Munger convinced him to pay up for quality, which changed Buffett's investing philosophy forever. See's has generated over $2 billion in cumulative pre-tax profits with almost no reinvestment needed — the perfect cash cow.

Buffett initially thought $25 million was too much. He offered $20 million. The sellers stuck at $25 million, and Buffett reluctantly agreed. He later called it one of the best decisions he ever made and credits it with teaching him the power of brand moats.

March 2020 — $2.6 billion profit in 3 weeks

In February 2020, Ackman spent $27 million on credit default swaps as a hedge against COVID-19's impact on markets. When the pandemic crash hit, he closed the position for $2.6 billion — a 100x return in roughly three weeks. He then immediately deployed the profits into stocks at the bottom.

Ackman went on CNBC during the crash and famously said 'Hell is coming,' while simultaneously covering his short and going long. His timing was almost supernatural.

2004 — $500K turned into $1 billion+

Thiel wrote the first outside check for Facebook — $500,000 for 10.2% of the company in 2004. By the time Facebook went public in 2012, his stake was worth over $1 billion. It was the single most profitable angel investment in Silicon Valley history at the time.

Thiel met Zuckerberg through a mutual friend, Sean Parker. The meeting was supposed to be casual. Thiel decided to invest after a brief conversation because he saw the explosive growth on college campuses.

2012-2015 — $2 billion profit, 10x return

Icahn bought Netflix shares in late 2012 when the stock was around $58, investing approximately $321 million. He recognized that streaming was the future of entertainment while most of Wall Street was still skeptical. He sold most of his position in 2015 for over $2 billion in profit.

Icahn credited his son Brett for the Netflix idea. Brett told his father that everyone he knew was binge-watching shows on Netflix. Sometimes the best investment research is talking to your kids.

2000 — $20 million turned into $130 billion

SoftBank's Masayoshi Son invested $20 million in a small Chinese e-commerce startup called Alibaba in 2000, before most people had ever heard of Jack Ma. That stake grew to be worth over $130 billion at its peak — the single greatest venture investment return in history.

Son met Jack Ma for only six minutes before deciding to invest. He said he could see the fire in Ma's eyes. The $20 million investment turned into the largest return multiple ever recorded for a single VC bet.

1992 — Key architect of the Quantum Fund trade

While Soros gets the credit, it was Druckenmiller who identified the pound trade and proposed sizing it at $1.5 billion. Soros's response was legendary: 'That's ridiculous. Why so small?' They levered up to $10 billion, and the rest is history.

Druckenmiller has said the key insight was that the trade was asymmetric — the downside was tiny compared to the upside. If the pound held, they'd lose very little. If it broke, they'd make a fortune.

2018-2021 — Called $4,000 price target when stock was $300

Cathie Wood and ARK Invest were the most prominent institutional bulls on Tesla when Wall Street was nearly unanimous in its skepticism. She set a $4,000 pre-split price target that seemed insane at the time, and Tesla went on a historic run that vindicated her thesis about electric vehicles and autonomy.

Wood's conviction in Tesla helped ARK Invest's flagship fund return 152% in 2020, making her the most famous active fund manager on the planet. She bought more shares every time the stock dipped.

2009 — $7 billion fund return

In early 2009, with the financial system seemingly on the brink of collapse, Tepper loaded up on Bank of America and Citigroup at distressed prices. His thesis was simple: the government would not let the banks fail. His Appaloosa Management returned $7 billion in 2009 — one of the greatest single-year performances ever.

Tepper is known for keeping a brass pair of testicles on his desk, a reminder to have conviction in his trades. In 2009, that conviction was tested like never before.

2016-2020 — Tripled his money

After the E. coli crisis destroyed Chipotle's stock, Ackman built a massive position and pushed for management changes. He helped bring in CEO Brian Niccol, who turned the company around spectacularly. Ackman's Pershing Square more than tripled its investment.

Ackman bet on the idea that people would forget about the food safety scare and come back for the burritos. He was right — Chipotle's same-store sales eventually hit record highs.

1982-1986 — 6x return in the Magellan Fund

Lynch bought Taco Bell after eating there and noticing the restaurants were always crowded. He studied the unit economics, loved the margins, and bought the stock. PepsiCo eventually acquired Taco Bell at a premium, and Lynch pocketed a beautiful 6x return for his fund shareholders.

Lynch tested hundreds of potential investments by just walking around and shopping. He found Hanes after his wife Carolyn raved about L'eggs pantyhose. The Magellan Fund beat the S&P 500 in 11 of 13 years.

1960s-1980s — Enormous multi-decade returns

Sir John Templeton was one of the earliest Western investors to see the potential of post-war Japan. He invested heavily in Japanese equities during the 1960s when the country was still rebuilding, riding the Japanese economic miracle for two decades of spectacular returns.

Templeton famously said, 'The four most dangerous words in investing are: this time it's different.' He also bought 100 shares of every stock trading below $1 on the NYSE during WWII — and made money on the vast majority.

1973 — Bought at 25% of intrinsic value, 100x return

Buffett bought Washington Post shares in 1973 during a market downturn at roughly one-quarter of the company's intrinsic value. He became close friends with publisher Katharine Graham and held the stock for decades, turning $10.6 million into over $1 billion.

Buffett said the Washington Post was so obviously cheap that any first-year MBA student could calculate its intrinsic value. Yet the entire market was selling it for a fraction of that because of pessimism about the newspaper industry.