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BRK.A vs. MA: Berkshire Hathaway vs. Mastercard Stock Comparison

How do Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Mastercard (MA) 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) and Mastercard (MA) both belong to the Financial Services industry, though BRK.A is classified under Multi-Sector Holdings while MA falls under Transaction & Payment Processing Services.

Company profile comparison for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Mastercard (MA)
Profile ItemBRK.AMA
NameBerkshire Hathaway Inc.Mastercard Incorporated
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorFinancialsFinancials
GICS Industry GroupFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS IndustryFinancial ServicesFinancial Services
GICS Sub-IndustryMulti-Sector HoldingsTransaction & Payment Processing Services
Market Capitalization1,054.74 billion USD475.63 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980May 25, 2006
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BRK.A
MA
GSPC
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA), 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 Mastercard (MA). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Mastercard (MA). 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 Mastercard (MA)
MetricBRK.AMA
Total Return (1Y)3.17%-2.34%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)11.60%11.30%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)11.79%7.85%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BRK.A
MA
GSPC
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA), 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 Mastercard (MA). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Mastercard (MA) trades around 3.78M shares per day on average, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) sees only 210 — a volume gap that can matter for position sizing, exit liquidity, and order execution.

Risk profile metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricBRK.AMA
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)13.99%21.94%
Beta (5Y)0.610.72
Max Drawdown (5Y)-25.98%-28.25%
Avg. Volume (3M)2103.78M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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BRK.A and MA are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricBRK.AMA
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.06-0.29
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-0.09-0.41

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 232.08% clears its industry range for ROE, a sharper capital-efficiency signal than Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 10.50%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

10.50%

Max
42.17%
Q3
21.40%
Median
12.18%
BRK.A
10.50%
Q1
4.84%
Min
-17.69%

MA

Financial Services industry group

232.08%

MA
232.08%
Max
42.17%
Q3
21.40%
Median
12.18%
Q1
4.84%
Min
-17.69%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their ROE against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 45.88% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 19.31%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

19.31%

Max
66.55%
Q3
30.72%
BRK.A
19.31%
Median
16.62%
Q1
4.66%
Min
-26.88%

MA

Financial Services industry group

45.88%

Max
66.55%
MA
45.88%
Q3
30.72%
Median
16.62%
Q1
4.66%
Min
-26.88%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their net margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Mastercard (MA) at 60.84% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 14.35%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

14.35%

Max
95.95%
Q3
51.93%
Median
27.53%
BRK.A
14.35%
Q1
12.21%
Min
-46.55%

MA

Financial Services industry group

60.84%

Max
95.95%
MA
60.84%
Q3
51.93%
Median
27.53%
Q1
12.21%
Min
-46.55%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their operating margin against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricBRK.AMA
ROE (TTM)10.50%232.08%
ROA (TTM)5.39%25.03%
Net Margin (TTM)19.31%45.88%
Operating Margin (TTM)14.35%60.84%
Gross Margin (TTM)----

Growth

Revenue Growth

Mastercard (MA) at 16.42% 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. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at -24.78% and Mastercard (MA) at 18.93% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricBRK.AMA
Revenue Growth (YoY)-3.23%16.42%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)20.59%13.82%
EPS Growth (YoY)-24.78%18.93%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)--17.36%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) in Financial Services and Mastercard (MA) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) in Financial Services and Mastercard (MA) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricBRK.AMA
Current Ratio (MRQ)----
Debt / Equity (MRQ)----
Net Debt / EBITDA----

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 Mastercard (MA) reports a yield of 0.60%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
18.29%
Q3
8.41%
Median
1.57%
BRK.A
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MA

Financial Services industry group

0.60%

Max
18.29%
Q3
8.41%
Median
1.57%
MA
0.60%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

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 Mastercard (MA) reports a payout of 18.23%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

0.00%

Max
228.57%
Q3
95.23%
Median
25.91%
BRK.A
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MA

Financial Services industry group

18.23%

Max
228.57%
Q3
95.23%
Median
25.91%
MA
18.23%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricBRK.AMA
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.60%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%18.23%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 14.62 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Mastercard (MA) at 31.65 sits in the richer quartile — MA needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

14.62

Max
49.65
Q3
26.26
Median
15.26
BRK.A
14.62
Q1
9.56
Min
2.03

MA

Financial Services industry group

31.65

Max
49.65
MA
31.65
Q3
26.26
Median
15.26
Q1
9.56
Min
2.03
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 2.81 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Mastercard (MA) at 14.01 clears its benchmark range — MA looks notably rich on sales.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

2.81

Max
10.06
Q3
4.96
Median
2.91
BRK.A
2.81
Q1
1.52
Min
-1.00

MA

Financial Services industry group

14.01

MA
14.01
Max
10.06
Q3
4.96
Median
2.91
Q1
1.52
Min
-1.00
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 1.45 sits near its industry’s typical P/B ratio, while Mastercard (MA) at 71.05 prices above its benchmark range — MA looks rich relative to book.

BRK.A

Financial Services industry group

1.45

Max
7.16
Q3
3.46
Median
1.62
BRK.A
1.45
Q1
0.91
Min
0.00

MA

Financial Services industry group

71.05

MA
71.05
Max
7.16
Q3
3.46
Median
1.62
Q1
0.91
Min
0.00
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Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Mastercard (MA): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Financial Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Mastercard (MA)
MetricBRK.AMA
P/E Ratio (TTM)14.6231.65
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.8114.01
P/B Ratio (MRQ)1.4571.05
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)----