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BRK.A vs. COST: Berkshire Hathaway vs. Costco Wholesale Stock Comparison

How do Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) is classified in the Financials sector (Financial Services), whereas Costco Wholesale (COST) belongs to Consumer Staples (Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
Profile ItemBRK.ACOST
NameBerkshire Hathaway Inc. Class ACostco Wholesale Corp
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsConsumer Staples
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS IndustryFinancial ServicesConsumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Sub-IndustryMulti-Sector HoldingsConsumer Staples Merchandise Retail
Market Capitalization1,222.51 billion USD466.86 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980July 9, 1986
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BRK.A
COST
GSPC
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricBRK.ACOST
Total Return (1Y)13.87%14.87%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.28%24.84%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)14.57%16.92%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BRK.A
COST
GSPC
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Costco Wholesale (COST) trades around 2.15M shares per day on average, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) sees only 206 — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk profile metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricBRK.ACOST
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)14.86%20.30%
Beta (5Y)0.560.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)-25.98%-31.40%
Avg. Volume (3M)2062.15M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BRK.A and COST are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricBRK.ACOST
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.650.52
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.960.77

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 28.40% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 12.12% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for COST.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

12.12%

Max
44.78%
Q3
21.85%
Median
12.91%
BRK.A
12.12%
Q1
4.48%
Min
-18.71%

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

28.40%

Max
33.48%
COST
28.40%
Q3
22.31%
Median
15.57%
Q1
7.66%
Min
-2.27%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Financial Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 22.30% and Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.04% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

22.30%

Max
62.84%
Q3
28.05%
BRK.A
22.30%
Median
15.36%
Q1
4.82%
Min
-28.52%

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.04%

Max
5.45%
Q3
3.42%
COST
3.04%
Median
2.44%
Q1
1.86%
Min
-0.06%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Financial Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 32.56% and Costco Wholesale (COST) at 3.79% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

32.56%

Max
107.33%
Q3
55.90%
BRK.A
32.56%
Median
30.09%
Q1
14.60%
Min
-44.34%

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.79%

Max
6.81%
Q3
5.49%
Median
3.84%
COST
3.79%
Q1
2.00%
Min
0.97%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Financial Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricBRK.ACOST
ROE (TTM)12.12%28.40%
ROA (TTM)6.01%8.66%
Net Margin (TTM)22.30%3.04%
Operating Margin (TTM)32.56%3.79%
Gross Margin (TTM)--12.77%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Costco Wholesale (COST) at 10.14% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at -3.23% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) reports EPS growth of -24.78%, ranked against its industry; Costco Wholesale (COST) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricBRK.ACOST
Revenue Growth (YoY)-3.23%10.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)20.59%7.76%
EPS Growth (YoY)-24.78%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)----

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Costco Wholesale (COST) shows current ratio of 1.06; Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) doesn’t get one — Financial Services balance sheets aren’t split into current and non-current buckets, so short-term liquidity there is judged through regulatory measures instead.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

--

BRK.A
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.06

Max
2.04
Q3
1.45
Median
1.17
COST
1.06
Q1
1.00
Min
0.69
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): BRK.A’s current ratio is not assessed under the Financial Services industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for COST only.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Costco Wholesale (COST) shows debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28; for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) the ratio is set aside — in Financial Services, balance-sheet leverage is part of the business model itself, so capital-adequacy measures do the job this ratio does elsewhere.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

--

BRK.A
--
Max
--
Q3
--
Median
--
Q1
--
Min
--

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.28

Max
2.59
Q3
1.83
Median
1.24
Q1
0.63
COST
0.28
Min
0.01
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): BRK.A’s debt-to-equity ratio is not assessed under the Financial Services industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for COST only.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricBRK.ACOST
Current Ratio (MRQ)--1.06
Debt / Equity (MRQ)--0.28
Net Debt / EBITDA---0.78

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Costco Wholesale (COST) reports a yield of 0.52%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
9.77%
Q3
3.92%
Median
1.09%
BRK.A
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.52%

Max
2.90%
Q3
1.72%
COST
0.52%
Median
0.43%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Financial Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Costco Wholesale (COST) reports a payout of 26.69%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
241.07%
Q3
97.36%
Median
25.77%
BRK.A
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

26.69%

Max
57.98%
Q3
30.05%
COST
26.69%
Median
11.72%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Financial Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricBRK.ACOST
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.52%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%26.69%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 14.36 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 50.75 sits in the richer quartile — COST needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

14.36

Max
45.85
Q3
24.64
Median
15.37
BRK.A
14.36
Q1
9.68
Min
0.16

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

50.75

COST
50.75
Max
50.75
Q3
33.64
Median
22.19
Q1
16.09
Min
9.28
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Financial Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 3.18 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 1.54 sits in the pricier quartile — COST costs more per dollar of sales.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

3.18

Max
9.23
Q3
4.57
BRK.A
3.18
Median
2.72
Q1
1.28
Min
-0.55

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.54

COST
1.54
Max
1.54
Q3
0.81
Median
0.47
Q1
0.26
Min
0.02
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Financial Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 1.72 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Costco Wholesale (COST) at 13.04 prices above its benchmark range — COST looks rich relative to book.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

1.72

Max
7.79
Q3
3.63
BRK.A
1.72
Median
1.57
Q1
0.81
Min
-0.39

COST

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

13.04

COST
13.04
Max
10.15
Q3
6.27
Median
3.70
Q1
1.85
Min
0.93
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Costco Wholesale (COST): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Financial Services and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Costco Wholesale (COST)
MetricBRK.ACOST
P/E Ratio (TTM)14.3650.75
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.181.54
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.7213.04
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)--1.45%