Berkshire Hathaway stock price history tells the story of how markets have valued one of the most unusual conglomerates ever built. The raw returns matter, but what matters more is understanding the catalysts behind the biggest moves and the worst drawdowns. Whether you're looking at BRK.B performance over one year, five years, or a full decade, the patterns reveal how Warren Buffett's holding company has navigated very different market environments.
Key takeaways
- Berkshire Hathaway returns have generally outpaced the S&P 500 over long horizons, though shorter windows tell a more mixed story
- The biggest drawdowns in BRK.B's history have been tied to broad market crises, not operational failures within Berkshire itself
- Insurance earnings, energy holdings, and a massive equity portfolio are the three primary drivers behind major price swings
- Comparing BRK.B performance to the S&P 500 requires context, because Berkshire doesn't pay a dividend and its composition shifts over time
- You can research BRK.B's stock page on Rallies.ai to dig into the numbers yourself
What does Berkshire Hathaway stock price history actually look like?
Berkshire Hathaway's trajectory is unlike most stocks. The Class B shares (BRK.B) have moved from single digits in the early 2000s to triple digits, but the path was anything but smooth. There have been multi-year stretches where BRK.B lagged the broader market, and others where it pulled far ahead. The long-term trend is up and to the right, but that masks real periods of pain.
What makes the BRK.B price chart interesting is how it reflects changes in the underlying business. Early on, Berkshire was heavily weighted toward insurance and a concentrated stock portfolio. Over time, Buffett shifted toward owning entire operating businesses like BNSF Railway and Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Each of those shifts left marks on the price chart.
BRK.B (Class B shares): Berkshire Hathaway's Class B stock trades at roughly 1/1,500th the price of Class A shares. It gives everyday investors access to the same company without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single share of BRK.A.
How has BRK.B performance compared to the S&P 500?
This is the question every Berkshire investor eventually asks, and the answer depends entirely on your time horizon. Over very long periods (ten years or more), Berkshire Hathaway returns have historically kept pace with or beaten the S&P 500. Over shorter windows like one or three years, results are much more variable.
Here's the thing about this comparison: the S&P 500 includes dividends in its total return. Berkshire doesn't pay one. So when you compare BRK.B's price return to the S&P 500's total return, you're giving Berkshire a handicap. Buffett argues the cash stays in the business and compounds more efficiently than if it were paid out. Whether that's true in any given period is debatable.
There have been stretches where BRK.B trailed the index badly, particularly during momentum-driven tech rallies. And there have been periods where Berkshire's defensive characteristics helped it lose less during downturns, which matters a lot for compounding over full market cycles.
Why does BRK.B sometimes lag the market?
Berkshire is a value-oriented conglomerate. When growth stocks lead, Berkshire tends to underperform. When the market rewards earnings stability and balance sheet strength, Berkshire tends to shine. It's also a massive company at this point. The law of large numbers makes it harder to grow at the same pace as smaller, faster-moving businesses.
Buffett himself has acknowledged this dynamic. The days of Berkshire dramatically outperforming the index are probably behind it, but that doesn't mean the stock can't still deliver solid risk-adjusted returns. You can use the Rallies AI Research Assistant to compare BRK.B's returns against the S&P 500 across different timeframes.
What drove the best periods in Berkshire Hathaway's history?
The strongest periods in Berkshire Hathaway stock price history tend to share a few traits: cheap valuations going in, strong insurance underwriting results, and a recovering economy that lifts Berkshire's operating businesses.
- Post-financial-crisis recovery: Berkshire invested aggressively during the downturn, deploying capital into Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and other distressed assets at favorable terms. As those bets paid off and the economy recovered, BRK.B rallied hard.
- Insurance supercycles: When catastrophe losses are low and premiums are rising (a "hard market"), Berkshire's insurance float generates enormous profits. These periods have historically coincided with strong stock performance.
- Acquisition-driven jumps: Major acquisitions like BNSF and Precision Castparts signaled confidence and reshaped the earnings profile. Markets rewarded the clarity of Berkshire's capital allocation.
- Energy sector tailwinds: Berkshire Hathaway Energy has become a meaningful earnings contributor. Periods of stable or rising energy demand have boosted consolidated results.
The common thread is that Berkshire performs best when Buffett has been buying at depressed prices and the economy starts healing. His famous "be greedy when others are fearful" isn't just a quote; it shows up directly in the BRK.B price chart.
What caused the worst drawdowns?
Berkshire's drawdowns have been less about the company doing something wrong and more about broad market dislocations that drag everything down. That said, some periods were worse for BRK.B than the index, which frustrated shareholders.
- Dot-com era underperformance: Buffett refused to buy tech stocks he didn't understand. The market punished that discipline for years before ultimately proving him right when the bubble burst.
- Financial crisis peak-to-trough: Even though Berkshire's balance sheet was rock solid, the stock dropped significantly during the broad market panic. Insurance exposure and equity portfolio losses both contributed.
- Growth stock dominance periods: During stretches where a handful of mega-cap tech names drove most of the S&P 500's returns, Berkshire's diversified conglomerate structure looked slow by comparison.
Drawdown: The decline from a stock's peak price to its lowest point before a new high is reached. For BRK.B, historical drawdowns have ranged from roughly 20% to over 50% during major market crises. Understanding drawdowns helps investors set realistic expectations.
The lesson from Berkshire's worst periods is that even well-managed companies can fall out of favor for extended stretches. If you're evaluating Berkshire Hathaway returns, looking at drawdown depth and recovery time gives you a more complete picture than annual returns alone.
What are the main catalysts behind BRK.B price moves?
Berkshire is a complex business with multiple earnings streams, so the catalysts that move the stock are varied. Here are the ones that tend to matter most:
Insurance underwriting and float. GEICO, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance, and General Re collectively generate a massive pool of "float," which is money collected from premiums before claims are paid. When underwriting is profitable and float grows, it's essentially free capital for Berkshire to invest. This is the engine of the whole operation.
The equity portfolio. Berkshire holds tens of billions in public stocks, with concentrated positions in names like Apple, Bank of America, and Coca-Cola. Moves in these holdings directly affect Berkshire's reported earnings under current accounting rules, even though Buffett considers this noise.
Operating business earnings. BNSF Railway, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, and dozens of manufacturing and service businesses contribute operating earnings that are more stable and predictable than investment gains. This piece of the puzzle has grown meaningfully over time.
Cash pile and buybacks. Berkshire has historically maintained an enormous cash reserve. When Buffett deploys that cash (either into acquisitions or share buybacks), markets tend to react. The buyback program in particular has become a meaningful signal about management's view of intrinsic value.
If you want to explore how these catalysts have played out across different periods, the Rallies stock screener can help you compare Berkshire to similar large-cap conglomerates.
How to evaluate Berkshire Hathaway returns on your own
Looking at a BRK.B price chart is step one, but it doesn't tell you nearly enough. Here's a more useful framework:
- Pick your timeframes. Compare one-year, five-year, and ten-year returns. Each tells a different story. Short periods capture sentiment. Long periods capture fundamentals.
- Benchmark against the S&P 500 total return. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Since BRK.B pays no dividend, you're only looking at price appreciation versus a total return index.
- Look at rolling returns, not just endpoint-to-endpoint. A single start and end date can be misleading. Rolling three-year or five-year returns show consistency.
- Factor in drawdowns. A stock that returns 10% annually but drops 50% along the way is a very different experience from one that returns 8% with 20% drawdowns.
- Check the book value and buyback history. Berkshire's book value per share has historically been a rough proxy for intrinsic value. Buyback activity tells you when management thinks shares are cheap.
This kind of multi-angle analysis gives you a much better sense of what you're actually getting. For a deeper dive into stock analysis methods, Rallies has educational resources that walk through these frameworks step by step.
Try it yourself
Want to run this kind of analysis on your own? Copy any of these prompts and paste them into the Rallies AI Research Assistant:
- Walk me through BRK.B's performance over the past decade — what were the best and worst periods, what drove those swings, and how does it compare to the S&P 500 over 1, 5, and 10 year periods?
- How has Berkshire Hathaway's stock performed over 1, 5, and 10 years? What drove the biggest moves?
- What are the biggest risks to Berkshire Hathaway's business model, and how have they historically affected BRK.B's stock price?
Frequently asked questions
What is the long-term BRK.B performance compared to the S&P 500?
Over ten-year-plus horizons, Berkshire Hathaway returns have historically been competitive with or ahead of the S&P 500. However, there are shorter periods where BRK.B has lagged, especially during tech-driven rallies. The comparison is also complicated by the fact that Berkshire doesn't pay a dividend, so price-only returns understate the S&P 500's total return advantage in some periods.
Where can I find a BRK.B price chart with historical data?
Most brokerage platforms and financial websites offer free historical price charts. You can also check BRK.B's research page on Rallies.ai for performance data alongside AI-powered analysis tools that put the numbers in context.
Why doesn't Berkshire Hathaway pay a dividend?
Warren Buffett has long argued that he can compound retained earnings at a higher rate than shareholders would earn reinvesting dividends on their own. Instead of dividends, Berkshire returns capital through share buybacks when management believes the stock is trading below intrinsic value. Whether this approach delivers better outcomes depends on your tax situation and investment goals.
What are the biggest risks to Berkshire Hathaway returns going forward?
Succession is the most discussed risk. Buffett won't run the company forever, and his replacement will face enormous expectations. Concentration risk in the equity portfolio (particularly in a single large holding) is another factor. Berkshire's sheer size also limits the pool of acquisitions that can meaningfully move the needle on earnings growth.
How do insurance results affect BRK.B performance?
Insurance is Berkshire's core engine. Profitable underwriting generates "float" that Berkshire invests for returns. In years with low catastrophe losses and rising premiums, insurance profits can be substantial. In years with major natural disasters or mispriced risk, underwriting losses can weigh on results. This makes Berkshire's earnings more cyclical than some investors expect.
Is BRK.B a good stock for long-term investors?
That depends on your goals, risk tolerance, and what else is in your portfolio. Berkshire offers diversified exposure to insurance, energy, railroads, manufacturing, and a concentrated equity portfolio, all under one ticker. Investors may want to research how BRK.B fits within their broader allocation. Consult a financial advisor for guidance specific to your situation.
Bottom line
Berkshire Hathaway stock price history shows a company that has compounded wealth over decades, but not in a straight line. The best periods followed aggressive capital deployment during downturns, and the worst periods came when the market favored everything Berkshire wasn't. Understanding the catalysts behind those moves, from insurance cycles to equity portfolio shifts to acquisition timing, gives you a much richer picture than just looking at a return number.
If you want to dig deeper into Berkshire or compare it to other investments, start with a solid framework for stock analysis and build from there. The numbers are publicly available. What matters is knowing which questions to ask.
Disclaimer: This article is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice, financial advice, trading advice, or any other type of advice. Rallies.ai does not recommend that any security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Before making any investment decision, consult with a qualified financial advisor and conduct your own research.
Written by Gav Blaxberg, CEO of WOLF Financial and Co-Founder of Rallies.ai.