Berkshire Hathaway is Warren Buffett’s conglomerate, whose Class A shares are famous for having one of the highest prices on any stock exchange.
Berkshire Hathaway evolved from a struggling New England textile manufacturer into a diversified holding company. Warren Buffett began acquiring shares in the 1960s and eventually transformed the business through insurance operations, investments, and ownership of operating companies.
Its Class A shares have never undergone a conventional stock split, so each share represents a very large amount of accumulated value. Berkshire introduced Class B shares in 1996 at a much lower price to make ownership more accessible and to reduce the incentive for investors to create share equivalents.
Berkshire’s market capitalization is based on all its outstanding share classes, not just the spectacular price of one Class A share. The company owns or invests in businesses connected with insurance, railroads, energy, manufacturing, retail, and public equities.