These days a single stock in Warren Buffet's iconic company costs upwards of US$500,000. In the past, that hefty price tag meant Berkshire Hathaway shares were out of reach to most investors.
That's where Berkshire Hathaway Class B (BRK.B) shares come in. BRK.B shares were launched so that investors could purchase Berkshire shares at a much lower price point. In Australia, you have the option of purchasing both A or B Class shares, depending on the platform you use.
There are two types of Berkshire Hathaway shares available to investors – Class A (BRK.A) and Class B (BRK.B) shares. Regular investors wanting to buy shares in Berkshire Hathaway typically purchase Class B shares thanks to the lower price. B-shares are generally over 1/100th of the price of A-shares.
However, there are other differences that may make Class A shares the more attractive option:
Australian investors can purchase either Class A or Class B shares depending on their preference and the trading platform they use.
While Class A shares may have been out of reach in the past, a number of trading platforms these days offer fractional share trading where fractions of stocks can be purchased. So instead of buying 1 BRK.A stock for US$500,000, you could instead buy a fraction of the stock for say $50.
Either way, Australian investors will need to find a trading platform that offers US stocks if they want to purchase Berkshire Hathaway stocks.
Our top pick for
US stocks
Our top pick for
Best for beginner
Our top pick for
Dividend investing
Berkshire Hathaway's shares were split on a 50:1 basis on 20 January 2010. So if you had owned 1 share the day before the split, the next day you would own 50 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Berkshire Hathaway shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 98% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Berkshire Hathaway shares which in turn could have impacted Berkshire Hathaway's share price.
| 52-week range | US$317.41 - US$430 |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | US$406.4446 |
| 200-day moving average | US$367.3557 |
| Target price | US$477 |
| PE ratio | 9.2401 |
| Dividend yield | N/A (0%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | US$44.28 |
Use the fields above to explore the returns from a historical investment. Please refer to the charts further up this page to see performance over 5 years, or other periods. Past performance doesn't indicate future results. Capital is at risk.
Historical closes compared with the last close of $397.74
| 1 week (2024-04-11) | -2.42% |
|---|---|
| 1 month (2024-03-18) | -2.61% |
| 3 months (2024-01-18) | 9.76% |
| 6 months (2023-10-18) | 16.68% |
| 1 year (2023-04-18) | 22.52% |
|---|---|
| 2 years (2022-04-18) | 14.74% |
| 3 years (2021-04-16) | 46.17% |
| 5 years (2019-04-18) | 89.41% |
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. However, this is not a recommendation. 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.
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 current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 9x. In other words, Berkshire Hathaway shares trade at around 9x 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 "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 10.0559. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Berkshire Hathaway's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.
Berkshire Hathaway's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is US$135.7 billion (£109.1 billion).
The EBITDA is a measure of a Berkshire Hathaway's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure stock profitability.
Over the last 12 months, Berkshire Hathaway's shares have ranged in value from as little as US$317.41 up to US$430. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta measures a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (NYSE average) beta is 1, while Berkshire Hathaway's is 0.894. This would suggest that Berkshire Hathaway's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).
| Revenue TTM | US$364.5 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 51.09% |
| Gross profit TTM | US$-28,087,000,000 |
| Return on assets TTM | 7.63% |
| Return on equity TTM | 18.46% |
| Profit margin | 26.4% |
| Book value | 389253.9 |
| Market capitalisation | US$884.7 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
We're not expecting Berkshire Hathaway to pay a dividend over the next 12 months.
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.
Total ESG risk: 19.08
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Berkshire Hathaway's overall score of 19.08 (as at 12/31/2018) is excellent – landing it in it in the 16th 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.).
Environmental score: 3.6/100
Berkshire Hathaway's environmental score of 3.6 puts it squarely in the 6th 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.
Social score: 7.75/100
Berkshire Hathaway's social score of 7.75 puts it squarely in the 6th 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.
Governance score: 17.22/100
Berkshire Hathaway's governance score puts it squarely in the 6th 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.
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.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.
| Total ESG score | 19.08 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 15.78 |
| Environmental score | 3.6 |
| Environmental score percentile | 6 |
| Social score | 7.75 |
| Social score percentile | 6 |
| Governance score | 17.22 |
| Governance score percentile | 6 |
| Level of controversy | 1 |
Berkshire Hathaway Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the insurance, freight rail transportation, and utility businesses worldwide. The company provides property, casualty, life, accident, and health insurance and reinsurance; and operates railroad systems in North America. It also generates, transmits, stores, and distributes electricity from natural gas, coal, wind, solar, hydroelectric, nuclear, and geothermal sources; operates natural gas distribution and storage facilities, interstate pipelines, liquefied natural gas facilities, and compressor and meter stations; and holds interest in coal mining assets. In addition, the company manufactures boxed chocolates and other confectionery products; specialty chemicals, metal cutting tools, and components for aerospace and power generation applications; flooring products; insulation, roofing, and engineered products; building and engineered components; paints and coatings; and bricks and masonry products, as well as offers manufactured and site-built home construction, and related lending and financial services. Further, it provides recreational vehicles, apparel and footwear products, jewelry, and custom picture framing products, as well as alkaline batteries; castings, forgings, fasteners/fastener systems, aerostructures, and precision components; and cobalt, nickel, and titanium alloys. Additionally, the company distributes 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 shared 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 clothing and equipment. The company was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.
Everything we know about the Tasmea Limited IPO, plus information on how to buy in.
Steps to owning and managing Blinklab shares.
Everything we know about the Maverick Minerals IPO, plus information on how to buy in.
Steps to owning and managing Far Northern Resources shares.
Commodity ETFs can be used to hedge against inflation. Here's what they do, why they should be on your watchlist and how they can help your portfolio.
Looking for the best performing stocks in Australia? We update this list weekly.
Steps to owning and managing Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes SA shares from Australia.
Trade ASX stocks and ETFs with a flat $2 brokerage fee and a low minimum investment of just $10.
These ETFs have the lowest fees on the market, but does that make them the best?
You've heard of CommSec but how does it stack up to the likes of IG, CMC Invest and other players in the market?
