Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) Stock Inflation-Adjusted

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is a multinational conglomerate holding company that wholly owns a diverse range of businesses and holds significant minority stakes in publicly traded companies such as Apple, Bank of America and The Coca-Cola Company.

For a company known for long-term value, nominal stock prices offer an incomplete picture of an investment's growth in purchasing power. To provide a more complete analysis, this page adjusts Berkshire Hathaway's historical stock prices for inflation using the US Consumer Price Index. The charts and data below let you compare the nominal price to its real value, clarifying the company's true long-term performance.

Nominal prices are adjusted for stock splits and assume reinvestment of any dividends to reflect total return. Inflation-adjusted prices use June 2025 as the baseline (latest available CPI).

The current value of Berkshire Hathaway (Class A) stock is 705,000 (as of the close of Jul 15, 2025), 12.89% lower than the all-time high of 809,350 (May 2, 2025).

Since March 17, 1980, the inflation-adjusted total return for the stock has been 60,269%, which is equivalent to an annual growth rate of 15.17%.

In nominal values, the total return since this date has been 243,003%, or an annualized rate of 18.77%.

Inflation-Adjusted Values by Month

This data presents Berkshire Hathaway's end-of-month closing levels over time. Inflation-adjusted figures show what past levels would be worth using roughly today's purchasing power (based on the latest CPI data). The latest entry in the table will have equal nominal and adjusted values until the next CPI figures are released.

Date Inflation-Adjusted Nominal value
Jul 2025 705,000 705,000
Jun 2025 728,800 728,800
May 2025 759,982.27 757,400
Apr 2025 804,947.03 800,540
Mar 2025 805,337.88 798,442
Feb 2025 783,449.94 775,000
Jan 2025 713,429.54 702,614
Dec 2024 695,927.62 680,920
Nov 2024 740,260.69 724,040
Oct 2024 691,751.02 676,960
Sep 2024 707,094.85 691,180
Aug 2024 732,944.14 715,300
Jul 2024 676,021.36 659,211
Jun 2024 628,583.02 612,241
May 2024 644,364.05 627,400
Apr 2024 616,732.75 599,500
Mar 2024 655,218.17 634,440
Feb 2024 640,869.71 616,561
Jan 2024 604,527.99 578,020
Dec 2023 570,601.29 542,625
Nov 2023 573,474.93 545,900
Oct 2023 542,885.58 517,825
Sep 2023 556,984.66 531,477
Aug 2023 574,388.37 546,725
Jul 2023 564,946.82 535,400
Jun 2023 547,428.33 517,810
May 2023 517,604.52 488,024
Apr 2023 534,704.22 502,880
Mar 2023 497,569.55 465,600
Feb 2023 496,992.05 463,525
Jan 2023 509,982.13 473,000
Dec 2022 509,398.31 468,711
Nov 2022 520,369.07 480,280
Oct 2022 481,711.38 445,050
Sep 2022 441,737.99 406,470
Aug 2022 458,848.2 421,308
Jul 2022 491,773.9 451,700
Jun 2022 445,178.62 408,950
May 2022 523,134.23 474,050
Apr 2022 540,381.64 484,340
Mar 2022 593,415.35 528,921
Feb 2022 541,404.65 476,205
Jan 2022 539,007.11 469,805
Dec 2021 521,395.06 450,662
Nov 2021 483,788.12 416,876
Oct 2021 504,854.86 432,902
Sep 2021 483,740.37 411,379
Aug 2021 506,892.18 429,900
Jul 2021 494,942.56 418,900
Jun 2021 496,968.51 418,601
May 2021 522,433.91 436,000
Apr 2021 498,237.86 412,500
Mar 2021 469,698.85 385,702
Feb 2021 447,121.79 364,580
Jan 2021 424,315.28 344,100
Dec 2020 430,720.74 347,815
Nov 2020 426,010.73 343,688
Oct 2020 374,728.11 302,500
Sep 2020 396,572.32 320,001
Aug 2020 406,505.44 327,560
Jul 2020 365,548.22 293,631
Jun 2020 334,451.35 267,300
May 2020 350,547.97 278,640
Apr 2020 354,404.57 281,700
Mar 2020 339,912.8 272,000
Feb 2020 385,430.21 309,096
Jan 2020 420,121.66 335,996
Dec 2019 426,262.93 339,590
Nov 2019 414,469.21 330,495
Oct 2019 399,762.51 318,939
Sep 2019 391,748.07 311,832
Aug 2019 381,048.9 303,078
Jul 2019 388,054.82 308,666
Jun 2019 400,898.3 318,350
May 2019 374,162.3 297,060
Apr 2019 410,326.55 325,080
Mar 2019 382,216.55 301,215
Feb 2019 385,629.7 302,200
Jan 2019 399,177.44 311,500
Dec 2018 392,876.99 306,000
Nov 2018 417,218.38 326,000
Oct 2018 392,485.25 307,705
Sep 2018 408,888.96 320,000
Aug 2018 403,991.19 315,800
Jul 2018 385,976.01 301,550
Jun 2018 361,028.08 282,040
May 2018 368,219.15 287,200
Apr 2018 374,192.18 290,650
Mar 2018 386,601.68 299,100
Feb 2018 401,920.35 310,250
Jan 2018 420,823.12 323,375
Dec 2017 389,390.7 297,600
Nov 2017 381,185.04 291,500
Oct 2017 366,770.39 280,470
Sep 2017 359,050.19 274,740
Aug 2017 356,628.95 271,450
Jul 2017 346,280.08 262,786
Jun 2017 335,393.39 254,700
May 2017 327,446.87 248,440
Apr 2017 326,856.11 247,780
Mar 2017 330,564.13 249,850
Feb 2017 340,432.72 257,100
Jan 2017 326,733.16 245,980
Dec 2016 326,153.59 244,121
Nov 2016 316,743.35 237,000
Oct 2016 287,828.14 215,700
Sep 2016 288,881.73 216,220
Aug 2016 302,352.81 225,760
Jul 2016 289,547.25 216,000
Jun 2016 290,383.59 216,975
May 2016 284,247.74 211,695
Apr 2016 295,246.02 219,000
Mar 2016 289,128.07 213,450
Feb 2016 275,551.72 202,555
Jan 2016 264,621.03 194,360
Dec 2015 269,749.78 197,800
Nov 2015 273,666.38 201,360
Oct 2015 277,477.49 204,596
Sep 2015 264,669.61 195,240
Aug 2015 274,125.96 202,531
Jul 2015 289,239.04 214,000
Jun 2015 276,890.61 204,850
May 2015 291,356.8 214,800
Apr 2015 290,933.26 213,400
Mar 2015 297,125.68 217,500
Feb 2015 303,951.24 221,180
Jan 2015 297,935.58 215,865
Dec 2014 310,455.96 226,000
Nov 2014 304,686.7 223,065
Oct 2014 285,292.31 210,000
Sep 2014 280,374.7 206,900
Aug 2014 279,202.44 205,880
Jul 2014 254,696.6 188,124
Jun 2014 257,000.77 189,900
May 2014 260,326.66 192,000
Apr 2014 262,970.65 193,275
Mar 2014 255,749.44 187,350
Feb 2014 238,654.01 173,708
Jan 2014 233,749.03 169,511
Dec 2013 246,229.77 177,900
Nov 2013 241,849.13 174,750
Oct 2013 238,929.88 172,994
Sep 2013 234,754.88 170,410
Aug 2013 230,393.82 167,050
Jul 2013 240,129.79 173,900
Jun 2013 232,903.01 168,600
May 2013 237,200.62 171,300
Apr 2013 220,560.7 159,000
Mar 2013 216,562.2 156,280
Feb 2013 212,015.58 152,600
Jan 2013 204,332.06 145,875
Dec 2012 188,337.71 134,060
Nov 2012 184,826.57 131,916
Oct 2012 180,588.81 129,505
Sep 2012 184,972.13 132,700
Aug 2012 177,200.7 126,560
Jul 2012 179,432.86 127,445
Jun 2012 175,626.35 124,945
May 2012 166,814.07 118,850
Apr 2012 169,352.06 120,800
Mar 2012 171,410.45 121,900
Feb 2012 167,093.07 117,934
Jan 2012 167,815.97 117,925
Dec 2011 164,023.39 114,755
Nov 2011 168,958.49 118,500
Oct 2011 166,607.82 116,950
Sep 2011 151,834.22 106,800
Aug 2011 156,292.12 109,769
Jul 2011 159,194.55 111,500
Jun 2011 165,916.24 116,105
May 2011 169,549.94 118,775
Apr 2011 178,916.9 124,750
Mar 2011 180,862.92 125,300
Feb 2011 191,371.61 131,300
Jan 2011 179,316.1 122,425
Dec 2010 177,263.66 120,450
Nov 2010 177,199.73 120,200
Oct 2010 175,946.92 119,300
Sep 2010 183,844.66 124,500
Aug 2010 175,345.04 118,675
Jul 2010 173,108.87 117,000
Jun 2010 177,585.03 120,000
May 2010 156,580.57 105,910
Apr 2010 170,632.16 115,325
Mar 2010 180,525.43 121,800
Feb 2010 178,290.25 119,800
Jan 2010 170,593.95 114,600
Dec 2009 148,174.11 99,200
Nov 2009 150,000.63 100,600
Oct 2009 147,719.41 99,000
Sep 2009 150,848.78 101,000
Aug 2009 150,718.96 100,850
Jul 2009 145,290.33 97,000
Jun 2009 134,591.71 90,000
May 2009 138,161.13 91,600
Apr 2009 142,190.65 94,000
Mar 2009 131,475.58 86,700
Feb 2009 119,482.24 78,600
Jan 2009 136,731.29 89,502
Dec 2008 148,217.14 96,600
Nov 2008 157,920.89 104,000
Oct 2008 172,009.3 115,490
Sep 2008 192,549.09 130,600
Aug 2008 171,670.54 116,600
Jul 2008 167,832.49 114,450
Jun 2008 178,000.78 120,750
May 2008 200,491.33 134,650
Apr 2008 200,978.43 133,850
Mar 2008 201,517.54 133,400
Feb 2008 213,320.89 140,000
Jan 2008 207,827.82 136,000
Dec 2007 217,461 141,600
Nov 2007 215,013.04 140,100
Oct 2007 204,557.05 132,500
Sep 2007 183,350.3 118,510
Aug 2007 183,669.43 118,390
Jul 2007 170,340.28 110,000
Jun 2007 169,484.17 109,475
May 2007 169,835.89 109,490
Apr 2007 170,421.13 109,200
Mar 2007 171,198.35 108,990
Feb 2007 168,319.02 106,190
Jan 2007 175,370.71 110,050
Dec 2006 175,810.13 109,990
Nov 2006 171,445.57 107,100
Oct 2006 168,593.27 105,475
Sep 2006 152,298.39 95,800
Aug 2006 152,021.31 96,097
Jul 2006 145,192.08 91,600
Jun 2006 145,715.22 91,659
May 2006 147,008.17 92,290
Apr 2006 142,471.11 89,000
Mar 2006 145,862.79 90,350
Feb 2006 140,907.37 86,800
Jan 2006 145,567.24 89,490
Dec 2005 145,250.79 88,620
Nov 2005 145,919.68 89,390
Oct 2005 139,096.33 85,900
Sep 2005 133,048.3 82,000
Aug 2005 136,562.87 83,150
Jul 2005 137,839.53 83,500
Jun 2005 138,477.34 83,500
May 2005 139,544.14 84,100
Apr 2005 139,815.11 84,350
Mar 2005 145,177.48 87,000
Feb 2005 151,694.48 90,200
Jan 2005 152,062.06 89,900
Dec 2004 148,991.65 87,900
Nov 2004 141,352.65 83,700
Oct 2004 142,356.02 84,250
Sep 2004 147,182.26 86,650
Aug 2004 148,088.69 87,000
Jul 2004 148,592.65 87,250
Jun 2004 151,248.29 88,950
May 2004 151,813.48 89,000
Apr 2004 160,233.89 93,390
Mar 2004 160,592 93,300
Feb 2004 163,705.77 94,500
Jan 2004 155,863.84 89,490
Dec 2003 147,453.96 84,250
Nov 2003 146,419.97 83,750
Oct 2003 135,667.41 77,810
Sep 2003 130,626.75 75,000
Aug 2003 132,405.52 75,775
Jul 2003 126,305.7 72,010
Jun 2003 127,303.61 72,500
May 2003 124,805.62 71,000
Apr 2003 122,522.29 69,815
Mar 2003 111,723.08 63,800
Feb 2003 108,694.78 61,700
Jan 2003 120,006.18 67,600
Dec 2002 129,719.81 72,750
Nov 2002 128,632.99 72,300
Oct 2002 131,995.59 74,190
Sep 2002 131,697.56 73,900
Aug 2002 130,309.65 73,000
Jul 2002 122,326.02 68,300
Jun 2002 119,772.51 66,800
May 2002 133,832.32 74,600
Apr 2002 131,769.22 73,450
Mar 2002 128,266.71 71,100
Feb 2002 132,435.06 73,000
Jan 2002 134,597.73 73,900
Dec 2001 138,005.72 75,600
Nov 2001 127,278.86 70,000
Oct 2001 129,242.22 71,200
Sep 2001 126,636.4 70,000
Aug 2001 126,116.81 69,400
Jul 2001 125,753.36 69,200
Jun 2001 125,762.55 69,400
May 2001 124,704.22 68,700
Apr 2001 123,991.79 68,000
Mar 2001 119,816.22 65,450
Feb 2001 128,987.7 70,300
Jan 2001 126,003.27 68,400
Dec 2000 131,619.72 71,000
Nov 2000 122,095.17 65,900
Oct 2000 118,086.99 63,700
Sep 2000 119,590.84 64,400
Aug 2000 107,707 57,700
Jul 2000 102,853.65 55,100
Jun 2000 100,659.99 53,800
May 2000 110,216.18 58,600
Apr 2000 111,662.97 59,300
Mar 2000 107,771.55 57,200
Feb 2000 83,584.71 44,000
Jan 2000 97,838.41 51,200
Dec 1999 107,520.33 56,100
Nov 1999 109,820.23 57,300
Oct 1999 122,542.5 63,900
Sep 1999 105,663.22 55,000
Aug 1999 123,928.28 64,200
Jul 1999 131,201.25 67,805
Jun 1999 133,721.14 68,900
May 1999 139,737.62 72,000
Apr 1999 148,277.14 76,400
Mar 1999 139,580.94 71,400
Feb 1999 139,416.94 71,100
Jan 1999 127,610.86 65,000
Dec 1998 137,762.48 70,000
Nov 1998 133,548.12 67,900
Oct 1998 126,860.88 64,500
Sep 1998 117,510 59,600
Aug 1998 119,430.48 60,500
Jul 1998 138,560.9 70,105
Jun 1998 154,957.91 78,305
May 1998 140,080.24 70,700
Apr 1998 136,170.37 68,600
Mar 1998 133,638.1 67,200
Feb 1998 111,172.97 55,800
Jan 1998 100,401.1 50,300
Dec 1997 91,988.88 46,000
Nov 1997 90,476.86 45,300
Oct 1997 87,227.2 43,700
Sep 1997 89,644.74 44,800
Aug 1997 83,248.02 41,500
Jul 1997 94,859.06 47,200
Jun 1997 94,977.41 47,200
May 1997 86,634.12 43,000
Apr 1997 76,512.6 38,000
Mar 1997 72,979.43 36,200
Feb 1997 71,747.59 35,500
Jan 1997 70,553.88 34,800
Dec 1996 69,352.65 34,100
Nov 1996 67,522.23 33,200
Oct 1996 66,020.07 32,400
Sep 1996 65,718.23 32,150
Aug 1996 64,184.1 31,300
Jul 1996 63,484.94 30,900
Jun 1996 63,194.78 30,700
May 1996 62,823.18 30,500
Apr 1996 69,134.96 33,500
Mar 1996 70,126.46 33,850
Feb 1996 73,924.57 35,500
Jan 1996 66,643.11 31,900
Dec 1995 67,454.12 32,100
Nov 1995 65,730.2 31,300
Oct 1995 61,909.89 29,500
Sep 1995 61,901.39 29,400
Aug 1995 53,795.33 25,500
Jul 1995 52,350.06 24,750
Jun 1995 49,600.36 23,450
May 1995 48,108.64 22,700
Apr 1995 45,867.79 21,600
Mar 1995 48,256.32 22,650
Feb 1995 47,614.62 22,275
Jan 1995 52,794.42 24,600
Dec 1994 43,956.21 20,400
Nov 1994 44,225.55 20,525
Oct 1994 43,691.37 20,250
Sep 1994 40,913.86 18,950
Aug 1994 41,348.42 19,100
Jul 1994 42,602.4 19,600
Jun 1994 35,089.41 16,100
May 1994 35,208.35 16,100
Apr 1994 35,232.24 16,100
Mar 1994 34,896.63 15,925
Feb 1994 33,971.15 15,450
Jan 1994 35,742.05 16,200
Dec 1993 36,116.66 16,325
Nov 1993 38,163.08 17,250
Oct 1993 38,189.27 17,250
Sep 1993 37,068.95 16,675
Aug 1993 39,039.24 17,525
Jul 1993 35,740.83 16,000
Jun 1993 34,400.55 15,400
May 1993 33,553.5 15,000
Apr 1993 28,336.09 12,650
Mar 1993 28,639.64 12,750
Feb 1993 28,119.84 12,475
Jan 1993 27,370.18 12,100
Dec 1992 26,709.6 11,750
Nov 1992 24,362.44 10,725
Oct 1992 21,553.35 9,475
Sep 1992 21,458.41 9,400
Aug 1992 20,889.77 9,125
Jul 1992 21,867.57 9,525
Jun 1992 21,224.15 9,225
May 1992 21,011.49 9,100
Apr 1992 21,099.42 9,125
Mar 1992 20,724.49 8,950
Feb 1992 20,305.52 8,725
Jan 1992 20,671 8,850
Dec 1991 21,168.8 9,050
Nov 1991 19,545.6 8,350
Oct 1991 20,118.98 8,570
Sep 1991 20,865.37 8,875
Aug 1991 20,720.88 8,775
Jul 1991 20,189.67 8,525
Jun 1991 19,922.89 8,400
May 1991 20,814.22 8,750
Apr 1991 19,384.68 8,125
Mar 1991 19,174.46 8,025
Feb 1991 19,322.55 8,075
Jan 1991 17,733.67 7,400
Dec 1990 16,091.89 6,675
Nov 1990 15,296.33 6,345
Oct 1990 14,376.31 5,950
Sep 1990 14,280.68 5,875
Aug 1990 15,686.86 6,400
Jul 1990 17,315.39 7,000
Jun 1990 17,878.67 7,200
May 1990 17,850.71 7,150
Apr 1990 16,766.17 6,700
Mar 1990 16,854.88 6,725
Feb 1990 18,207.06 7,225
Jan 1990 18,875.14 7,455
Dec 1989 22,190.46 8,675
Nov 1989 21,136.84 8,250
Oct 1989 21,855.05 8,510
Sep 1989 22,256.71 8,625
Aug 1989 20,645.46 7,975
Jul 1989 19,447.01 7,500
Jun 1989 17,089.75 6,575
May 1989 16,740.34 6,425
Apr 1989 16,442.49 6,275
Mar 1989 13,055.41 4,950
Feb 1989 12,533.72 4,725
Jan 1989 13,118.19 4,925
Dec 1988 12,581.22 4,700
Nov 1988 12,602.13 4,700
Oct 1988 12,679.71 4,725
Sep 1988 12,923.98 4,800
Aug 1988 11,655.57 4,300
Jul 1988 11,908.9 4,375
Jun 1988 11,344.31 4,150
May 1988 10,774.91 3,925
Apr 1988 10,398.53 3,775
Mar 1988 9,483.02 3,425
Feb 1988 8,759.2 3,150
Jan 1988 8,447.36 3,030
Dec 1987 8,245.71 2,950
Nov 1987 8,105.95 2,900
Oct 1987 9,301.95 3,325
Sep 1987 11,836.59 4,220
Aug 1987 11,250.16 3,990
Jul 1987 11,224.44 3,960
Jun 1987 9,946.81 3,500
May 1987 9,725.31 3,410
Apr 1987 9,673.97 3,380
Mar 1987 10,128.59 3,520
Feb 1987 9,711.51 3,360
Jan 1987 8,992.26 3,100
Dec 1986 8,231.87 2,820
Nov 1986 8,005.59 2,740
Oct 1986 8,407.64 2,875
Sep 1986 7,683.51 2,625
Aug 1986 8,527.14 2,900
Jul 1986 8,321.78 2,825
Jun 1986 8,763.64 2,975
May 1986 8,471.3 2,860
Apr 1986 8,643.21 2,910
Mar 1986 9,249.91 3,120
Feb 1986 8,145.18 2,760
Jan 1986 6,636.63 2,255
Dec 1985 7,289.35 2,470
Nov 1985 7,768.1 2,625
Oct 1985 7,774.7 2,620
Sep 1985 6,314.21 2,120
Aug 1985 6,092.82 2,040
Jul 1985 6,313.58 2,110
Jun 1985 6,445.22 2,150
May 1985 5,591.46 1,860
Apr 1985 5,582.21 1,850
Mar 1985 5,502.33 1,815
Feb 1985 4,534.11 1,490
Jan 1985 4,265.14 1,395
Dec 1984 3,905.65 1,275
Nov 1984 3,920.97 1,280
Oct 1984 3,982.23 1,300
Sep 1984 4,008.97 1,305
Aug 1984 3,981.85 1,290
Jul 1984 3,842.23 1,240
Jun 1984 3,919.26 1,260
May 1984 4,024.21 1,290
Apr 1984 3,910.78 1,250
Mar 1984 3,898.4 1,240
Feb 1984 4,032.01 1,280
Jan 1984 4,194.24 1,325
Dec 1983 4,171.32 1,310
Nov 1983 4,302.94 1,350
Oct 1983 4,183.71 1,310
Sep 1983 3,971.95 1,240
Aug 1983 3,283.56 1,020
Jul 1983 3,067.4 950
Jun 1983 2,950.06 910
May 1983 3,202.85 985
Apr 1983 3,189.62 975
Mar 1983 3,179.48 965
Feb 1983 2,734.68 830
Jan 1983 2,523.1 765
Dec 1982 2,561.32 775
Nov 1982 2,271.09 690
Oct 1982 2,003.69 610
Sep 1982 1,812.14 550
Aug 1982 1,601.25 485
Jul 1982 1,571.45 475
Jun 1982 1,646.06 495
May 1982 1,700.35 505
Apr 1982 1,733.47 510
Mar 1982 1,638.41 480
Feb 1982 1,756.01 515
Jan 1982 1,744.5 510
Dec 1981 1,921.64 560
Nov 1981 1,979.43 575
Oct 1981 1,744.04 505
Sep 1981 1,592.04 460
Aug 1981 1,747.35 500
Jul 1981 1,707.88 485
Jun 1981 1,815.74 510
May 1981 1,867.84 520
Apr 1981 1,864.41 515
Mar 1981 1,749.48 480
Feb 1981 1,779.77 485
Jan 1981 1,594.27 430
Dec 1980 1,588.51 425
Nov 1980 1,622.24 430
Oct 1980 1,597.59 420
Sep 1980 1,478.4 385
Aug 1980 1,471.47 380
Jul 1980 1,326.13 340
Jun 1980 1,189.61 305
May 1980 1,261.85 320
Apr 1980 1,095.11 275
Mar 1980 1,047.01 260

Returns from Investing in Berkshire Hathaway (Class A) stock

How much did an investment in Berkshire Hathaway really grow each year after accounting for inflation? The following chart contains the inflation-adjusted real annual percentage returns.

Detailed Annual Returns (Adjusted vs. Nominal)

The table below shows the returns for Berkshire Hathaway (Class A) stock by year, both inflation-adjusted and nominal. You can sort any column by clicking on the header.

Observe how inflation erodes nominal gains, sometimes resulting in a negative real return even when the stock price nominally increased, as in 2022.

Year Inflation-Adjusted Return Nominal Return
2024 21.96% 25.49%
2023 12.01% 15.77%
2022 -2.3% 4%
2021 21.05% 29.57%
2020 1.05% 2.42%
2019 8.5% 10.98%
2018 0.9% 2.82%
2017 19.39% 21.91%
2016 20.91% 23.42%
2015 -13.11% -12.48%
2014 26.08% 27.04%
2013 30.74% 32.7%
2012 14.82% 16.82%
2011 -7.47% -4.73%
2010 19.63% 21.42%
2009 -0.03% 2.69%
2008 -31.84% -31.78%
2007 23.69% 28.74%
2006 21.04% 24.11%
2005 -2.51% 0.82%
2004 1.04% 4.33%
2003 13.67% 15.81%
2002 -6% -3.77%
2001 4.85% 6.48%
2000 22.41% 26.56%
1999 -21.95% -19.86%
1998 49.76% 52.17%
1997 32.64% 34.9%
1996 2.81% 6.23%
1995 53.46% 57.35%
1994 21.71% 24.96%
1993 35.22% 38.94%
1992 26.17% 29.83%
1991 31.55% 35.58%
1990 -27.48% -23.05%
1989 76.38% 84.57%
1988 52.58% 59.32%
1987 0.17% 4.61%
1986 12.93% 14.17%
1985 86.64% 93.73%
1984 -6.37% -2.67%
1983 62.86% 69.03%
1982 33.29% 38.39%
1981 20.97% 31.76%

Berkshire Hathaway (Class A) Stock: Average Annualized Returns

Annualized returns show the average rate of growth per year, making it easier to compare performance across different time periods. While nominal returns indicate the headline growth, adjusting for inflation reveals the actual change in purchasing power.

This table presents both nominal and inflation-adjusted average annual returns for Berkshire Hathaway over various trailing periods ending June 30, 2025, offering a clearer view of long-term, real investment performance.

Period Avg. Annual Return (Inflation-Adjusted) Avg. Annual Return (Nominal)
Last 1 year 15.94% 19.04%
Last 3 years 17.86% 21.24%
Last 5 years 16.86% 22.21%
Last 10 years 10.16% 13.53%
Last 20 years 8.66% 11.44%
Last 30 years 9.37% 12.14%
Last 40 years 12.55% 15.68%

Real Returns of Investing in the Berkshire Hathaway

The chart and table below show the nominal and inflation-adjusted value of a hypothetical $100 investment over various long-term historical periods, ending in June 2025.

The inflation-adjusted line, in green, represents the real increase in purchasing power for the initial investment. Observe the gap between both lines, which illustrates the cumulative effect of inflation over time.

Even over just five years, inflation takes a noticeable bite out of investments. Investing $100 in the Berkshire Hathaway five years ago yielded an 135.78% nominal gain, but the real return (the actual increase in buying power) was 89.09%.

As investment periods get longer, the difference between reported nominal returns and the inflation-adjusted gains usually becomes much greater due to the compounding effect of inflation over time.

Investment Period What $100 Grew To (Nominal) Total Nominal Return (%) Total Inflation-Adjusted Return (%)
Last 5 years Feb 2020 - Jun 2025 $235.78 135.78% 89.09%
Last 10 years Feb 2015 - Jun 2025 $329.51 229.51% 139.78%
Last 25 years Feb 2000 - Jun 2025 $1,656.36 1,556% 771.93%

Inflation & Berkshire's Operations

Berkshire Hathaway's decentralized and diverse nature gives it a unique resilience to inflation, though its individual businesses experience impacts differently.

  • Insurance Operations: In insurance units like GEICO and General Re, high inflation can increase the costs of claims, potentially outpacing premium adjustments and squeezing underwriting profits.
  • Manufacturing, Service and Retailing: Businesses like See's Candies or Clayton Homes face rising costs for raw materials, labor and transportation. Their ability to pass these costs to consumers without losing volume is key.
  • Regulated Utilities: Energy companies such as BHE are capital-intensive and can be impacted by rising costs for infrastructure projects. However, regulatory frameworks often allow them to pass on inflation-related costs to customers over time.

Berkshire's primary mitigation strategy lies in its philosophy of owning businesses with durable competitive advantages. These companies often have strong pricing power, allowing them to raise prices in line with inflation without significant loss of business. Additionally, its large cash reserves can be deployed to acquire assets advantageously during economic uncertainty.

About Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is a holding company with a wide array of subsidiaries engaged in numerous diverse business activities.

Shaped by the leadership of Warren Buffett, the company is renowned for its value investing philosophy. Its core business is insurance, with substantial holdings across freight rail transportation, utilities, energy, manufacturing, services and retailing.

Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, Berkshire Hathaway is one of the largest public companies globally. Its high-priced Class A shares (BRK.A) have famously never been split.

Last Close
Jul 15, 2025
705,000
Highest
May 2, 2025
809,350
Highest, Inflation-Adjusted
May 2, 2025
812,109.39
Annualized return
Since Mar 17, 1980
18.77%
Annualized return, Inflation-Adjusted
Since Mar 17, 1980
15.17%

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Other Inflation-Adjusted Data