BRK.A vs. KO: Berkshire Hathaway vs. Coca-Cola Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Coca-Cola (KO) 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 Coca-Cola (KO) belongs to Consumer Staples (Food, Beverage & Tobacco) — their GICS classifications point to very different parts of the market.

Company profile comparison for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Profile Item	BRK.A	KO
Name	Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A	The Coca-Cola Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Food, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS Industry	Financial Services	Beverages
GICS Sub-Industry	Multi-Sector Holdings	Soft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages
Market Capitalization	1,222.51 billion USD	411.56 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	January 2, 1962
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BRK.A

GSPC

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO), 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 Coca-Cola (KO). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Coca-Cola (KO). 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 Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	BRK.A	KO
Total Return (1Y)	13.87%	39.33%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.28%	22.59%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.57%	14.43%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BRK.A

GSPC

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO), 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 Coca-Cola (KO). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Coca-Cola (KO) is heavily traded at around 16.05M shares per day, whereas Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) is thinly traded at only 206 — larger orders in the latter may face more price impact or wider spreads, depending on market conditions.

Risk profile metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	BRK.A	KO
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	14.86%	18.90%
Beta (5Y)	0.56	0.27
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-25.98%	-17.27%
Avg. Volume (3M)	206	16.05M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BRK.A and KO 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 Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	BRK.A	KO
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.65	1.85
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.96	3.17

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 40.59% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 12.12%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

40.59%

KO: 40.59%
Max: 32.02%
Q3: 16.61%
Median: 10.05%
Q1: 4.10%
Min: -10.50%

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Financial Services and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 28.65% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 22.30% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.65%

KO: 28.65%
Max: 24.83%
Q3: 11.22%
Median: 5.94%
Q1: 2.05%
Min: -11.49%

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Financial Services and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 33.36% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 32.56%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

33.36%

Max: 34.91%
KO: 33.36%
Q3: 17.57%
Median: 11.06%
Q1: 4.15%
Min: -15.06%

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Financial Services and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	BRK.A	KO
ROE (TTM)	12.12%	40.59%
ROA (TTM)	6.01%	9.59%
Net Margin (TTM)	22.30%	28.65%
Operating Margin (TTM)	32.56%	33.36%
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	62.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.87% 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.

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Coca-Cola (KO) at 23.58% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at -24.78% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in earnings momentum.

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	BRK.A	KO
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-3.23%	1.87%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	20.59%	3.69%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-24.78%	23.58%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	11.55%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Coca-Cola (KO) shows current ratio of 1.38; 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: --

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.38

Max: 4.01
Q3: 2.35
Median: 1.53
KO: 1.38
Q1: 1.02
Min: 0.33

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): BRK.A’s current ratio is not assessed under the Financial Services industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for KO only.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Coca-Cola (KO) shows debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07; 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: --

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.07

Max: 2.19
Q3: 1.11
KO: 1.07
Median: 0.68
Q1: 0.33
Min: 0.00

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): BRK.A’s debt-to-equity ratio is not assessed under the Financial Services industry convention, so the chart shows available visual context for KO only.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	BRK.A	KO
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	1.38
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	1.07
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	1.48

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 Coca-Cola (KO) reports a yield of 2.19%, 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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.19%

Max: 9.38%
Q3: 3.77%
KO: 2.19%
Median: 1.76%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Financial Services and Food, Beverage & Tobacco 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 Coca-Cola (KO) reports a payout of 61.95%, 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%

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

61.95%

Max: 199.19%
Q3: 81.03%
KO: 61.95%
Median: 41.52%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Financial Services and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	BRK.A	KO
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	2.19%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	61.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 14.36 and Coca-Cola (KO) at 28.22 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.22

Max: 52.52
Q3: 30.78
KO: 28.22
Median: 18.76
Q1: 12.77
Min: 4.72

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Financial Services and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 3.18 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Coca-Cola (KO) at 8.06 clears its benchmark range — KO looks notably rich on 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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

8.06

KO: 8.06
Max: 4.64
Q3: 2.27
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.52
Min: 0.00

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Financial Services and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 1.72 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Coca-Cola (KO) at 11.01 prices above its benchmark range — KO 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

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

11.01

KO: 11.01
Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.07
Median: 1.58
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.00

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Coca-Cola (KO): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Financial Services and Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Coca-Cola (KO)
Metric	BRK.A	KO
P/E Ratio (TTM)	14.36	28.22
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.18	8.06
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.72	11.01
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	1.06%