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Stocks / Valuation exercise / Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway valuation exercise: market cap, book value and multiples vs competitors

Insurance, railroads, energy, investments. We rebuild its market value from the price, split it into its parts, and compare its multiples with those of its largest competitors.

Verified figures, not advice. Every number on this page comes from the company's own filings or from exchange prices, and the source is linked. Every calculation is shown, so you can repeat it. What we do not do is tell you what a share should be worth or whether to buy it: that depends on your goals and on forecasts, and no multiple can settle it. This is a snapshot: prices of 12 Oct 2026, company results up to mid 2026. Found a mistake? Tell us and we correct it.

Step 1. Market capitalisation

StepNumberWhere it comes from
Share price (nominal value)
$517.60
Close of 12 Oct 2026
Shares outstanding
2.14 bn
Latest report or filing, as of 2026-07-29
Market capitalisation
$1.11tn
Price x shares

Market capitalisation is the value the stock market puts on all the shares together. It is the nominal share price multiplied by the number of shares.

Step 2. How the value is composed

Building blockAmountMeaning
Market capitalisation
$1.11tn
What the market asks for all the shares
Book equity
$747.9bn
Assets minus liabilities, as accounted
Tangible book equity
$630.8bn
Book equity without goodwill and intangibles
Market value above book
$360.1bn
What investors pay beyond the accounts

For banks and insurers, debt and deposits are raw material, not financing. Enterprise value and EBITDA do not describe them, so we do not build them. Value is read against equity: market value is $1.11tn and book equity is $747.9bn, a price to book of 1.5x.

Step 3. Fundamentals, last twelve months

Last twelve monthsAmountMargin or note
Total revenue
$384.7bn
Up to 2026-06-30
Income before tax
$106.9bn
28% of revenue
Net income (GAAP)
$85.8bn
22% of revenue
Dividend per share
$0.00
Last twelve months
Book equity
$747.9bn
Common shareholders' equity

Step 4. Multiples against the largest competitors

MultipleBerkshire HathawayCBPGRTRVPeer meanPeer medianvs median
P/E (price / net income)
12.9x
11.9x
11.0x
9.3x
10.7x
11.0x
+18%
P / book value
1.5x
1.8x
3.7x
2.3x
2.6x
2.3x
-37%
P / tangible book
1.8x
2.7x
n.m.
2.7x
2.7x
2.7x
-35%
Dividend yield
0.0%
1.1%
6.3%
1.2%
2.9%
1.2%
n.m.

Banks and insurers are compared on price to earnings, price to book and dividend yield. Dividend yield is shown for information and has no "vs median".

Chubb, Progressive and Travelers are insurers. Berkshire also owns railroads, utilities and manufacturing, so insurers cover only part of it.

What the comparison shows

  • P/E: 12.9x against a peer median of 11.0x (mean 10.7x). Difference to the median: +18%.
  • Price to book: 1.5x against a peer median of 2.3x (mean 2.6x). Difference: -37%.

These are descriptions of today's prices, not forecasts. "n.m." means not meaningful, for example negative profit.

Where the comparison is distorted

  • Banks and insurers are valued on equity, not on enterprise value, because debt is part of their business. Net income includes about $42bn after tax of investment gains over the last twelve months. Berkshire's own operating earnings, which exclude those gains, were $48bn. It also holds about $365bn in cash and Treasury bills.
  • Chubb is an insurer valued on equity.
  • Progressive pays a large variable annual dividend.
  • Travelers is an insurer valued on equity.

Sources

Prices of 12 Oct 2026 from exchange historical data. Share counts, debt, cash and results from each company's filings, read on 13 and 14 October 2026. Foreign companies are converted at one stated rate.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B)
Chubb Limited (CB)
The Progressive Corporation (PGR)
The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV)

Questions people ask

Does a higher multiple than competitors mean the share is overvalued?

No. It means investors pay more per dollar of sales or profit. The reason can be faster growth, higher margins or lower risk, or it can be excess optimism. A multiple gap is a question to investigate, not an answer.

Why not use enterprise value for a bank or insurer?

Their debt and deposits are the raw material of the business, not a way of financing it, so enterprise value would mislead. Value is read against equity instead.

Why show both the mean and the median of competitors?

The mean is pulled up by one extreme value. The median is the middle value and resists outliers. When they differ a lot, trust the median more.

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