If You'd Invested $10,000 in Berkshire Hathaway Stock 10 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today
Key Points
Berkshire Hathaway’s shares underperformed the S&P 500 index in the past decade.
The stock price's gain has come not from valuation expansion, but from earnings growth.
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From 1964 through 2025, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA) (NYSE: BRKB) put up a remarkable return of nearly 6,100,000%. Of course, credit goes to Warren Buffett, who allocated capital in a way that makes him a legendary investor. But the conglomerate's last decade wasn't as impressive.
If you'd invested $10,000 in this financial stock 10 years ago, here's how much you'd have today.
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With a share price that has risen 240% in the past decade (as of March 25), Berkshire Hathaway would've grown $10,000 into $34,000 today. This performance, while notable, lags the S&P 500's total return of 282%.
The great Warren Buffett might have received criticism for losing to the market. However, Berkshire Hathaway's general avoidance of taking big stakes in technology companies has been a headwind. What's more, having hundreds of billions of dollars in cash creates a drag on returns. New CEO Greg Abel has some big shoes to fill.
Berkshire Hathaway currently trades at a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 15.4. Exactly 10 years ago, its P/E multiple was 14.4. So, valuation expansion was not the main catalyst that benefited investors.
Instead, it was profit gains that propelled the stock. Berkshire Hathaway's earnings per share (EPS) increased by 218% between 2015 and 2025. Investors can probably expect the stock's performance in the long run to resemble EPS growth.
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Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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