The top 10 stock picks among professional investors: Preferences have shifted significantly

Professional investors are rethinking their strategies. Their preferences regarding the largest stocks in their portfolios look entirely different today than they did a decade ago. This is the conclusion of Universal Investment, a premier fund services provider that has been analyzing the mutual funds on its platform and their largest holdings for more than ten years. At the end of 2014, seven German companies and only two US companies were among the top 10 stocks held by fund managers. By the end of 2024, the holding pattern reversed: SAP was the only German company in the top 10, while seven US companies claimed spots. Only one company maintained investor loyaty over the past 10 years: Berkshire Hathaway. 

Jochen Meyers, Group Head of Relationship Management at Universal Investment, commented: “What’s interesting is that over the years, we have observed a clear concentration on the top 10 stocks. In 2014, only about five percent of investment volumes were allocated to these stocks; now it is nine percent. Industry diversification has also declined. The current focus is clearly on technology.” Ten years ago, German industrial companies, automakers, and insurers dominated the rankings. Overall, the shares in the mutual funds on Universal Investment’s platform have a total value of around 84 billion euros.