Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B)
Berkshire Hathaway is a massive conglomerate that owns a diverse collection of businesses, from insurance and energy to railways and retail.
Is Berkshire Hathaway Inc. a good stock for a UK beginner?
The honest version: Berkshire Hathaway is a massive conglomerate that owns a diverse collection of businesses, from insurance and energy to railways and retail.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-31. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. And it's the USD return - as a UK investor your actual £ return also moves with the exchange rate. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
Based on beta - how much the price swings versus the whole market. Bumpier isn't bad; it just means a rougher ride, which matters more the sooner you might need the money.
Prices move on results, news and the mood of the whole market - no single headline explains a day, and a quiet week is usually just noise, not a signal.
Continued compounding of value through smart capital allocation.
Significant decline in the value of their major equity holdings.
What does Berkshire Hathaway Inc. do?
Think of Berkshire Hathaway as a giant, permanent investment fund run by a team that buys whole companies rather than just small slices of shares. Profits roll in from their various businesses, while cash from insurance operations gets invested into other successful firms. Much hinges on how they deploy their massive pile of cash and whether they keep finding new, large companies to add to their collection.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on momentum and value, and weakest on income.
- !Pays no dividend - the whole return rides on the share price
- ✓Growing - revenue up about 4% over the year
- ✓Very profitable - turns about 19% of sales into profit
- ✓Low debt - a sturdier balance sheet
- Extremely diversified business model
- Massive cash reserves provide stability
- Lower volatility than the broader market
- Income screens low (16/100)
- Heavy reliance on the performance of a few large investments
- Potential for large insurance payouts due to natural disasters
- Succession planning for key leadership roles
What do Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s numbers mean?
How much money does Berkshire Hathaway Inc. make?
Revenue and profit by quarter, and how much of each sale turns into profit.
Does Berkshire Hathaway Inc. pay a dividend?
No - Berkshire Hathaway Inc. doesn't currently pay a dividend, so the whole return would rest on the share price. Plenty of growing companies reinvest their profits instead of paying them out - neither approach is better or worse, they're just different.
When does Berkshire Hathaway Inc. report earnings, and how did recent quarters go?
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is next scheduled to report on about 2026-08-08 - dates can move, and we don't predict results; this just tells you when to look.
Each quarter a company reports its results against what analysts expected. ‘Beating’ or ‘missing’ is about that expectation, not whether the business is doing well in absolute terms.
| Reported | Expected EPS: The earnings per share analysts expected for the quarter - the average of their forecasts. 'Beating' or 'missing' is measured against this number. | Actual EPS | vs expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-02 | $5.05 | $5.26 | Beat +4% |
| 2026-02-28 | $5.17 | $4.73 | Missed -8% |
| 2025-11-01 | $5.73 | $6.25 | Beat +9% |
| 2025-08-02 | $5.04 | $5.17 | Beat +3% |
| 2025-05-03 | $4.72 | $4.47 | Missed -5% |
| 2025-02-22 | $4.19 | $6.73 | Beat +61% |
Across the last 6 quarters here, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. came in ahead of what analysts expected 4 times. One quarter is noise, not a trend.
See who else reports over the next two weeks →
Reported vs expected earnings per share (EPS) from published results; the expectation is the analyst consensus, not our view. Report dates are estimates that can move.
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What are the scenarios for Berkshire Hathaway Inc.?
An illustrative range for the year ahead, with the assumption behind each case — not a prediction or a price target.
What are the pros and cons of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Extremely diversified business model
- Massive cash reserves provide stability
- Lower volatility than the broader market
- No dividend payments to shareholders
- Size makes it difficult to grow quickly
- Complex structure can be hard to analyse
- Heavy reliance on the performance of a few large investments
- Potential for large insurance payouts due to natural disasters
- Succession planning for key leadership roles
The write-up's own warning lights — if these start happening, the case above changes.
- A major change in the company's long-term investment philosophy
- A sustained period of poor performance across core subsidiaries
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.