The Best Warren Buffett Stocks to Buy With $300 Right Now

Banking stocks are among Warren Buffett's favorites, and if you dig through the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio, there are plenty to choose from there. But there are also two non-financial stocks worth considering for your portfolio if you have $300 or more to invest: Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) and Nucor (NYSE: NUE).

The beverage maker and steel company are obviously in very different businesses, but they each share the characteristic of resilience, which helps them handle uncertainty and economic downturns. That's a characteristic Buffett valued in his investments.

That resiliency is highlighted by the fact that, not only do these two companies pay out dividends, but both are Dividend Kings and have increased their payouts for 50 or more consecutive years.

The brand known around the globe

Coca-Cola has a massive moat with its brand, as it's one of the most recognizable companies throughout the world. In 2020, Forbes ranked Coca-Cola as the sixth-most valuable brand, and more recently, it ranked the beverage maker in the top 200 on its America's Best Companies list for 2026. That branding power gives it pricing power and allows the company to win plenty of shelf space in grocery and convenience stores.

It's known for its Coca-Cola soda line, but it's also branching out beyond sodas to build a more robust beverage lineup to account for changing consumer tastes. It owns the sports drink brands BODYARMOUR and Vitaminwater, as well as the tea brand Gold Peak. It's also moved into the ready-to-drink alcohol category, with "spiked" lemonade and a collaboration with whiskey maker, Jack Daniel's.

That beverage portfolio is a cash cow, which is why the company has consistently rewarded shareholders with dividends. As mentioned earlier, it's a Dividend King, with 63 consecutive years of dividend payout increases. As of this writing, that dividend payout yields 2.6%. One investing consideration with Coca-Cola is that this isn't a stock known for its price appreciation, as the S&P 500 has easily outperformed it over the last five years. Rather, it's geared toward investors looking to boost their income who also want a stock that is typically less volatile than the broader markets.

The steel manufacturer that's also a Dividend King

Leaving the soda world, we're now entering the steel business with Nucor, the largest steel manufacturer and recycler in North America. Like other commodities, steel is cyclical, as sales depend on growth in the construction sector and on infrastructure projects.

That said, business is booming for Nucor. In its 2026 first-quarter earnings report, net sales of $9.4 billion were a noticeable jump from the $7.8 billion reported the same time a year ago. It also reported net earnings attributable to Nucor stockholders of $743 million, another noticeable jump from the $156 million reported in Q1 2025.

One area of growth expected to continue for the company is data centers, where it provides the steel needed for airflow containment, server network racks and wall units, pathway support structures, and more. In its first-quarter earnings presentation, it mentioned data centers as catalysts for each of its divisions.

Nucor has increased its dividend payout for 53 consecutive years. While the yield on that dividend is less than 1%, it is also an investment with plenty of upside potential in its stock price to boost the total return.

The stock price has jumped over 42% this year and is up 113% over the past 12 months. There could still be plenty of gains ahead, with the favorable macro tailwind of decreased steel imports to compete with. It also has a West Virginia project in development to serve the high-end automative sector. Still, any potential investor is taking on more risk with this company than, say, owning Coca-Cola. Nucor's beta of 1.8 means the stock is significantly more volatile than the broader markets.

With Nucor trading around $230, you can get a whole share and some fractional shares with $300. Another strategy with $300 is to buy fractional shares of Nucor and two or three whole shares of Coca-Cola, which trades above $80. Owning both could be the start of building out a well-balanced portfolio. Either way, these are two Dividend Kings that should continue to offer reliable income payouts to their shareholders for years to come and two Buffett stocks for long-term investors to consider.

Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.