There's something to be said about following the "smart money's" lead into adventurous, high-potential growth plays. But billionaires also see plenty of potential in stable blue chips like the Dow Jones Industrial Average's components. Indeed, Dow stocks make up considerable portions of some high-profile managers' portfolios.

Billionaire investors often are viewed as more sophisticated, better informed and more likely to enter what would be considered more esoteric trades than the average investor. In some cases, those assumptions are true.

But there's something to be said about safety, as well as the ability of some well-known large-cap stocks to deliver surprisingly outsize returns. Big-time money managers know that - and have put their money where their brains are.

Investors of every ilk would be wise to take the hint and consider following that lead.

Here are seven Dow stocks that make up a large chunk of at least one billionaire investor's holdings. We'll examine how much they hold, as well as which qualities each billionaire investor likely appreciates most about their pick.

Apple

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Apple (, $235.87) was not only the first company to ever , but it arguably mainstreamed the ownership of smartphones. It's also one of Wall Street's