How Many Berkshire Hathaway Shares Are There? A Detailed Guide
Have you ever looked at the staggering price of a single Berkshire Hathaway Class A share and wondered, "Just how many of these exist in the world?" You're not alone! The question of how many shares of this legendary company are outstanding is a common one, and understanding the answer gives you a fascinating insight into the company's structure, its stock market behavior, and the unique investment philosophy of its iconic leader, Warren Buffett.
Let's dive into the details and uncover the numbers behind one of the world's most powerful conglomerates.
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| How Many Berkshire Hathaway Shares |
Step 1: Understand the Two Classes of Shares
Before we get to the numbers, it's absolutely crucial to understand that Berkshire Hathaway has two distinct classes of shares. This is the most fundamental concept you need to grasp. There's not just "Berkshire Hathaway stock"; there are two tickers on the New York Stock Exchange: BRK.A and BRK.B.
Berkshire Hathaway Class A (BRK.A): This is the original, ultra-high-priced share that Warren Buffett has famously refused to split. As of late June 2025, a single share trades for well over $700,000. These shares are often referred to as the "voting shares" because each Class A share carries significant voting rights. This high price is part of Buffett's strategy to attract long-term, value-oriented investors who are not interested in short-term trading.
Berkshire Hathaway Class B (BRK.B): Created in 1996 to make the stock more accessible to retail investors, the Class B shares are a fraction of the price of the Class A shares. The Class B shares also have a fraction of the voting rights. One Class B share has 1/10,000th of the voting rights of a Class A share. This distinction is key to understanding the share structure and why the numbers for each class are so different.
So, the question "how many shares" is really two questions in one: How many Class A shares, and how many Class B shares?
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Step 2: Unpacking the Numbers
Let's break down the approximate number of outstanding shares for each class, based on recent financial data. It's important to note that these numbers can fluctuate slightly due to share buybacks, conversions, and other corporate actions.
Sub-heading: Class A Shares (BRK.A)
As of late June 2025, there are approximately 1.44 million Class A shares outstanding.
Think about that number for a moment. 1.44 million shares. Given the price of each share, this is a remarkably small number for a company of Berkshire's size and market capitalization, which is well over a trillion dollars. This scarcity is a direct result of Buffett's steadfast refusal to split the stock.
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Sub-heading: Class B Shares (BRK.B)
The number of Class B shares is dramatically larger than the number of Class A shares. This is due to a stock split of the Class B shares in 2010. As of late June 2025, there are approximately 2.16 billion Class B shares outstanding.
Yes, you read that right. Billions. This huge number is what makes the stock accessible to everyday investors. The 2010 stock split was a 50-for-1 split, which was done to facilitate Berkshire's acquisition of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad and to make the stock available in the S&P 500 index.
Step 3: Why Do These Numbers Change?
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The number of outstanding shares is not static. It's a dynamic figure that can change due to a few key reasons.
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Share Buybacks: Berkshire Hathaway is known for its share repurchase program. When the company buys back its own shares from the open market, the number of shares outstanding decreases. This is a practice that Warren Buffett strongly believes in, as he views it as a way to return value to shareholders when the stock is trading below its intrinsic value. Over time, this has been a significant factor in reducing the total number of outstanding shares.
Conversions: A fascinating feature of Berkshire's share structure is that Class A shares can be converted into Class B shares at any time. The conversion ratio is 1 Class A share to 1,500 Class B shares. However, it's a one-way street; you cannot convert Class B shares back into Class A shares. A recent example of this is a donation by Warren Buffett, where he converted over 8,000 Class A shares into over 12 million Class B shares for charitable giving. This conversion decreases the number of Class A shares and increases the number of Class B shares.
Stock Splits (for Class B): While the Class A shares have never split, the Class B shares have. The 50-for-1 split in 2010 was a major event that dramatically increased the number of Class B shares in circulation.
Step 4: Putting it All Together
To get the total number of shares, you can combine the Class A and Class B shares, but it's important to remember they are not equivalent in terms of value or voting power. The total number of shares outstanding for Berkshire Hathaway is the sum of the Class A shares and the Class B shares. As of late June 2025, the total is approximately 2.16 billion shares.
However, a more useful way to think about it is in terms of "share equivalents." If you convert all the Class A shares into their Class B equivalents (multiplying the Class A share count by 1,500), you can see the total number of Class B equivalents. This helps to visualize the full ownership structure of the company.
10 Related FAQs
Here are 10 frequently asked questions that start with "How to" and their quick answers, based on the information we've covered.
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1. How to find the exact, current number of Berkshire Hathaway shares outstanding? You can find the most recent and exact numbers in Berkshire Hathaway's official financial filings, such as their quarterly 10-Q and annual 10-K reports, which are available on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website. Financial data websites and brokerage platforms also provide this information, updated regularly.
2. How to buy Berkshire Hathaway shares if you don't have enough money for a Class A share? You can easily buy Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares (BRK.B), which are far more affordable and trade at a fraction of the price of the Class A shares. Most retail investors buy BRK.B.
3. How to convert a Class A share into a Class B share? This is a process that can be done through your brokerage. You would instruct your broker to convert your BRK.A shares into BRK.B shares at the 1-to-1,500 ratio. Remember, this conversion is irreversible.
4. How to calculate the total shares outstanding if you have both classes? To get a sense of the total ownership, you can calculate the total Class B equivalent shares. Multiply the number of Class A shares by 1,500 and add that to the number of Class B shares.
5. How to tell the difference between Class A and Class B shares when looking at a stock ticker? The ticker symbol is different. Class A is BRK.A and Class B is BRK.B. This is the key identifier.
6. How to invest in Berkshire Hathaway through an index fund? Since Berkshire Hathaway is a component of major market indexes like the S&P 500, you can gain exposure to the company's stock by investing in an S&P 500 index fund or an ETF that tracks the index.
7. How to participate in Berkshire Hathaway's shareholder meetings? All shareholders, both Class A and Class B, are welcome to attend the annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. It's a famous event where Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger (before his passing) answered questions from investors.
8. How to find the historical share count for Berkshire Hathaway? You can find historical data on the number of outstanding shares on financial data websites like Macrotrends and Companies Market Cap, which provide tables and charts showing the share count over time.
9. How to understand the impact of share buybacks on the share count? When Berkshire Hathaway buys back its own shares, it reduces the total number of outstanding shares. This increases the ownership stake of the remaining shareholders and can have a positive impact on metrics like earnings per share (EPS).
10. How to get a Class B share from a Class A share? This is not a direct exchange. A single Class A share can be converted into 1,500 Class B shares, but a single Class B share cannot be converted into a Class A share. The Class B shares are created when they are either issued or when a Class A share is converted.
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