Here’s how Warren Buffett’s ‘Dividend Aristocrats’ have performed

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett published his annual letter to shareholders Saturday. Each year’s letter is a must-read for investors, and the latest edition took a positive tone, which really is a relief amid the daily flow of gloom-and-doom headlines.

Here’s some of Buffett’s wisdom from the latest letter:

“In America, gains from winning investments have always far more than offset the losses from clunkers. (During the 20th century, the Dow Jones Industrial Average — an index fund of sorts — soared from 66 to 11,497, with its component companies all the while paying ever-increasing dividends.)”

The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index SPDAUDP, +1.92% comprises the 50 S&P 500 companies that have raised their regular dividend payouts for at least 25 consecutive years.

The S&P High-Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index SPHYDA, +1.71% consists of components of the S&P Composite 1500 that have raised their dividends for at least 20 consecutive years. This is made up of 107 stocks, including all of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats.

Here are the six S&P High-Yield Dividend Aristocrats held by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. BRK.B, +2.06% according to the company’s most recent 13F filing, as of Dec. 31, with other data as of the market close Feb. 29:

All of those companies, except for International Business Machines Inc. IBM, +2.55% are included in the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats. IBM is part of the S&P High-Yield Dividend Aristocrats.

Here’s a comparison of average compounded annual returns, with dividends reinvested, for the group, plus Berkshire Hathaway:

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