Which company is identified by the stock symbols BRK.A and BRK.B on the New York Stock Exchange?

Berkshire Hathaway is the company identified by the stock symbols BRK.A and BRK.B on the New York Stock Exchange.

Berkshire Hathaway has two publicly traded share classes. Class A shares, traded as BRK.A, carry substantially greater voting power and a much higher price per share, while Class B shares, traded as BRK.B, were created to make ownership more accessible.

The modern company grew from the merger of Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates and Hathaway Manufacturing in 1955. Warren Buffett began accumulating Berkshire stock in the 1960s and transformed it from a struggling textile business into a diversified holding company.

Its major businesses and investments have included insurance, railroads, utilities, manufacturing, retail, and large stakes in publicly traded corporations. BRK.A and BRK.B therefore refer to share classes of the same company, not separate Berkshire businesses.