Berkshire Hathaway`s Biggest Winner in 2017 Is This Surprising Under-the-Radar Stock

Buffett didn't quite match the major averages so far this year, but he can't feel too bad. Over the trailing five years he and his shareholders have done pretty well.As of midyear 2017, it held over $162 billion in shares of other publicly traded companies. Ordinary people like us were ahead by 12.65% through Nov. 21, simply by owning Berkshire shares.

Berkshire's largest holdings have been a mixed bag in 2017. Its biggest winner was the under-the-radar Moody's (MCO ) , up a staggering 59% this year, surpassing the more glamourous Apple's (AAPL ) return. The biggest disappointment has been IBM (IBM ) , which declined by 8.46%.

Buffett has owned Moody's for decades. He toughed out a major drawdown in 2008 and was rewarded with a huge (more than 870%) rebound since. It took improved earnings and a tripling of MCO's P/E to accomplish that feat.

Give Buffett credit, at least, for starting to scale out of a loser. He had been lightening up on IBM in recent months while bulking up his winning position in Apple. IBM's biggest cost to Berkshire was missing out on the good things that same capital might have accomplished elsewhere during the last six years of a raging bull market.

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