How to buy Berkshire Hathaway shares

Berkshire Hathaway Inc is a business with stocks listed in the US. Berkshire Hathaway shares (BRKB) are listed on the NYSE and all prices are listed in US Dollars. Here's how to invest if you're based in Australia.

How to buy shares in Berkshire Hathaway

1. Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares in a US company from Australia you'll need to find a trading platform that offers access to US stock markets. If you're just starting out, look for a platform with low brokerage and foreign exchange fees.
2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, like your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
3. Search for Berkshire Hathaway. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: BRKB. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment against your financial goals.
4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until Berkshire Hathaway reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying at consistent intervals and amounts.
5. Decide on how many to buy. Weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of Berkshire Hathaway, depending on your broker.
6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of Berkshire Hathaway. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights on directors and management that can affect your stock.

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Berkshire Hathaway share price

Use our graph to track the performance of BRKB stocks over time.

Berkshire Hathaway shares at a glance

• Key figures

Information last updated 2021-01-23.

52-week range	US$159.5 - US$236.24
50-day moving average	US$1788.5187
200-day moving average	US$1788.5187
Target price	N/A
PE ratio	5.5321
Dividend yield	N/A (0%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	US$49845.8

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The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.

Is it a good time to buy Berkshire Hathaway stock?

The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.

Technical Analysis of Berkshire Hathaway Inc by TradingView

Is Berkshire Hathaway under- or over-valued?

Valuing Berkshire Hathaway stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Berkshire Hathaway's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

Berkshire Hathaway's P/E ratio

Berkshire Hathaway's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 6x. In other words, Berkshire Hathaway shares trade at around 6x recent earnings.

That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the NASDAQ 100 at the end of 2019 (27.29). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.

Berkshire Hathaway's EBITDA

Berkshire Hathaway's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is US$53.7 billion (£38.7 billion).

The EBITDA is a measure of a Berkshire Hathaway's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

Berkshire Hathaway financials

Revenue TTM	US$249.9 billion
Operating margin TTM	17.35%
Gross profit TTM	US$105.5 billion
Return on assets TTM	3.5%
Return on equity TTM	5.77%
Profit margin	8.9%
Book value	N/A
Market capitalisation	US$518 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

Berkshire Hathaway's environmental, social and governance track record

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Berkshire Hathaway.

When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.

Berkshire Hathaway's total ESG risk score

Total ESG risk: 22.08

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Berkshire Hathaway's overall score of 22.08 (as at 01/01/2019) is excellent – landing it in it in the 19th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Berkshire Hathaway is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

Berkshire Hathaway's environmental score

Environmental score: 6.6/100

Berkshire Hathaway's environmental score of 6.6 puts it squarely in the 9th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Berkshire Hathaway is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Berkshire Hathaway's social score

Social score: 10.75/100

Berkshire Hathaway's social score of 10.75 puts it squarely in the 9th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Berkshire Hathaway is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

Berkshire Hathaway's governance score

Governance score: 20.22/100

Berkshire Hathaway's governance score puts it squarely in the 9th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Berkshire Hathaway is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Berkshire Hathaway's controversy score

Controversy score: 1/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Berkshire Hathaway scored a 1 out of 5 for controversy – the highest score possible, reflecting that Berkshire Hathaway has managed to keep its nose clean.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary

Berkshire Hathaway Inc was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.

Total ESG score	22.08
Total ESG percentile	18.78
Environmental score	6.6
Environmental score percentile	9
Social score	10.75
Social score percentile	9
Governance score	20.22
Governance score percentile	9
Level of controversy	1

Berkshire Hathaway share dividends

We're not expecting Berkshire Hathaway to pay a dividend over the next 12 months.

Have Berkshire Hathaway's shares ever split?

Berkshire Hathaway's shares were split on a 1:50 basis on 21 January 2010. So if you had owned 50 shares the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 1 share. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Berkshire Hathaway shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 4900% higher share price could have impacted the market appetite for Berkshire Hathaway shares which in turn could have impacted Berkshire Hathaway's share price.

Berkshire Hathaway share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Berkshire Hathaway's shares have ranged in value from as little as US$159.5 up to US$236.24. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while Berkshire Hathaway's is 0.8053. This would suggest that Berkshire Hathaway's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).

Berkshire Hathaway overview

Berkshire Hathaway Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in insurance, freight rail transportation, and utility businesses. It provides property, casualty, life, accident, and health insurance and reinsurance; and operates railroad systems in North America. The company also generates, transmits, stores, and distributes electricity from natural gas, coal, wind, solar, hydro, nuclear, and geothermal sources; operates natural gas distribution and storage facilities, interstate pipelines, and compressor and meter stations; and holds interest in coal mining assets. In addition, it offers real estate brokerage services; and leases transportation equipment and furniture. Further, the company manufactures boxed chocolates and other confectionery products; specialty chemicals, metal cutting tools, and components for aerospace and power generation applications; flooring, insulation, roofing and engineered, building and engineered components, paints and coatings, and bricks and masonry products, as well as offers homebuilding and manufactured housing finance; and recreational vehicles, apparel products, jewelry, and custom picture framing products, and alkaline batteries. Additionally, it manufactures castings, forgings, fasteners/fastener systems, and aerostructures; and seamless pipes, fittings, downhole casing and tubing, and various mill forms. The company distributes newspapers, televisions, and information; franchises and services quick service restaurants; distributes electronic components; and offers logistics services, grocery and foodservice distribution services, and professional aviation training and fractional aircraft ownership programs. It also retails automobiles; furniture, bedding, and accessories; household appliances, electronics, and computers; jewelry, watches, crystal, china, stemware, flatware, gifts, and collectibles; kitchenware; and motorcycle accessories. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of Berkshire Hathaway is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 0.184% of Berkshire Hathaway shares are held by insiders and 68.836% by institutions.

• When does the fiscal year end for Berkshire Hathaway?

  Berkshire Hathaway's fiscal year ends in December.

• Where is Berkshire Hathaway based?

  Berkshire Hathaway's address is: 3555 Farnam Street, Omaha, NE, United States, 68131

• What is Berkshire Hathaway's ISIN number?

  Berkshire Hathaway's international securities identification number is: US0846707026