Is Berkshire Hathaway a good stock to buy?
Berkshire Hathaway's stock performance is nothing short of incredible, as it has handily beat the S&P 500 Index over the long term. But it is not your typical company. It has a unique operating approach that suggests it should be looked at more like a mutual fund than a normal corporation.
Over the past decade, Berkshire's beta is 0.63, showing it experiences significantly less volatility than the broader market. For these reasons, Berkshire Hathaway is an excellent stock to add to your portfolio today and hold for the long haul.
- Bank of America (BAC), 1.03 billion.
- Apple (AAPL), 905.6 million.
- Coca-Cola (KO), 400 million.
- Kraft Heinz (KHC), 325.6 million.
- Occidental Petroleum (OXY), 248.1 million.
- American Express (AXP), 151.6 million.
- Chevron (CVX), 126.1 million.
- Nu Holdings (NU), 107.1 million.
According to the latest long-term forecast, Berkshire Hathaway price will hit $450 by the end of 2024 and then $500 by the middle of 2025. Berkshire Hathaway will rise to $600 within the year of 2027, $700 in 2028, $800 in 2030, $900 in 2032 and $1000 in 2034.
Based on 2 Wall Street analysts offering 12 month price targets for Berkshire Hathaway A in the last 3 months. The average price target is $680,000.00 with a high forecast of $715,000.00 and a low forecast of $645,000.00. The average price target represents a 12.68% change from the last price of $603,500.00.
Berkshire Hathaway doesn't pay dividends
In the comparison to the S&P 500 Index above, the performance figures include reinvested dividends. That is a benefit for the S&P 500, but has no impact on Berkshire Hathaway's performance because the company doesn't pay a dividend.
Over the past decade, Berkshire's beta is 0.63, showing it experiences significantly less volatility than the broader market. For these reasons, Berkshire Hathaway is an excellent stock to add to your portfolio today and hold for the long haul.
In his latest shareholder letter, Buffett added other stocks that he said Berkshire "expect[s] to maintain indefinitely." The first new addition to the list was Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY). Berkshire has been buying Occidental shares hand over fist.
The top three individual shareholders are Warren Buffett, Susan Buffett, and Ronald Olson. The company's top three institutional shareholders are Vanguard, BlackRock, and State Street.
Ticker | Company | % Portfolio |
---|---|---|
MSFT | Microsoft Corp. | 33.98% |
BRK.B | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | 16.80% |
CNI | Canadian National Railway Co. | 16.29% |
WM | Waste Management Inc. | 14.92% |
Is Berkshire Hathaway stock overpriced?
To be sure, Berkshire stock may someday become overvalued, but not at a measly 1.5 times book value. Buffett and his investment team have consistently figured out ways to grow shareholder value over the long term, and short-term swings in valuation have never hindered the stock's long-term investment thesis.
Its Relative Strength Rating of 84 means it has outperformed 84% of stocks in terms of price performance over the past 12 months. Berkshire Hathaway stock held strong in 2022, making a slight gain compared to a loss of more than 19% for the S&P 500.
Going from Buffett's past history, it's unlikely that the company will pay investors a dividend while he remains in charge. There's every chance that Berkshire Hathaway's future CEO also decides against paying dividends, especially given Buffett's track record of creating shareholder value by other means.
Berkshire Hathaway B has a conensus rating of Moderate Buy which is based on 1 buy ratings, 1 hold ratings and 0 sell ratings. The average price target for Berkshire Hathaway B is $441.00. This is based on 2 Wall Streets Analysts 12-month price targets, issued in the past 3 months.
The one stock he definitely owns, of course, is Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett is Berkshire's largest shareholder.
Berkshire Hathaway takes profit from its insurance company holdings and invests them in a portfolio of about 50 different stocks valued at around $380 billion. The company's wide range of products and brands makes it one of the most consistent stocks on the market today.
Greggory Warren: Well, about a decade ago, we really started noting in our research that we felt that Berkshire would survive the eventual departure of both Buffett and Munger and that there was a groundwork there for a successful transition that they really started around the new millennium.
Berkshire's stock performance has generally been solid, increasing at a 9.5% (13.3%) CAGR during 2018-22 (2013-22), compared with a 9.4% (12.6%) average annual return for the S&P 500 TR Index. At the end of June 2023, Berkshire had approximately $166 billion in insurance float.
Arguably, the biggest drawback to Berkshire stock now is that it will underperform if the market continues to boom. Berkshire shares have performed better in 2021, but they had been underperforming the S&P 500 prior to that – understandably so, given that Buffett has been sitting on an ever-growing pile of cash.
5. Approach your investments with a long-term mindset. One of the most important Warren Buffett quotes on investing that you can take in is, "If you aren't willing to own a stock for 10 years, don't even think about owning it for 10 minutes."
Is it better to buy brk a or brk b?
Berkshire created two share classes in 1996 to make investing more accessible. Both share classes offer essentially the same exposure to the company's success. Most investors are better off sticking with Class B shares for their flexibility and affordability.
Stock | 2024 return through March 31 |
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Janux Therapeutics Inc. (JANX) | 250.9% |
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (DJT) | 254.1% |
Super Micro Computer Inc. (SMCI) | 255.3% |
Viking Therapeutics Inc. (VKTX) | 340.6% |
- Palo Alto Networks Inc. (ticker: PANW)
- Nvidia Corp. (NVDA)
- Apple Inc. (AAPL)
- Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)
- Alphabet Inc. (GOOG)
- Tesla Inc. (TSLA)
- AllianceBernstein Holding LP (AB)
- Walt Disney Co. (DIS)
Although old-guard favorites such as American Express (AXP) and Coca-Cola (KO) still form the core of the portfolio, Buffett & Co. have taken a shine to names such as Apple (AAPL) and Amazon.com (AMZN), and even to lesser-known firms such as Snowflake (SNOW) and Nu Holdings (NU).
- American Express: 20.6% stake. ...
- Ally Financial: 9.6% Stake. ...
- Bank of America: 13% Stake. ...
- Capital One: 3.3% Stake. ...
- Citigroup: 2.9% Stake. ...
- Nu Holdings: 2.3% Stake.