BRK.A vs. WMT: Berkshire Hathaway vs. Walmart Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Walmart (WMT) 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 Walmart (WMT) 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 Walmart (WMT)
Profile Item	BRK.A	WMT
Name	Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A	Walmart Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Financials	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Financial Services	Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Industry	Financial Services	Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Sub-Industry	Multi-Sector Holdings	Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail
Market Capitalization	1,222.51 billion USD	998.90 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	August 25, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BRK.A

WMT

GSPC

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Walmart (WMT), 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 Walmart (WMT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Walmart (WMT). 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 Walmart (WMT)
Metric	BRK.A	WMT
Total Return (1Y)	13.87%	23.19%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.28%	33.27%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	14.57%	21.72%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BRK.A

WMT

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Walmart (WMT) is heavily traded at around 23.66M 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 Walmart (WMT)
Metric	BRK.A	WMT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	14.86%	26.96%
Beta (5Y)	0.56	0.52
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-25.98%	-25.74%
Avg. Volume (3M)	206	23.66M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BRK.A and WMT 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 Walmart (WMT)
Metric	BRK.A	WMT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.65	0.70
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.96	1.00

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 12.12% and Walmart (WMT) at 22.31% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

22.31%

Max: 33.48%
WMT: 22.31%
Q3: 22.31%
Median: 15.57%
Q1: 7.66%
Min: -2.27%

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Walmart (WMT): 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 Walmart (WMT) at 3.00% 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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.00%

Max: 5.45%
Q3: 3.42%
WMT: 3.00%
Median: 2.44%
Q1: 1.86%
Min: -0.06%

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Walmart (WMT): 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 Walmart (WMT) at 3.45% 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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.45%

Max: 6.81%
Q3: 5.49%
Median: 3.84%
WMT: 3.45%
Q1: 2.00%
Min: 0.97%

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Walmart (WMT): 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 Walmart (WMT)
Metric	BRK.A	WMT
ROE (TTM)	12.12%	22.31%
ROA (TTM)	6.01%	6.41%
Net Margin (TTM)	22.30%	3.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	32.56%	3.45%
Gross Margin (TTM)	--	24.84%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Walmart (WMT) at 4.73% 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. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Walmart (WMT) at 13.28% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at -24.78% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	BRK.A	WMT
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-3.23%	4.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	20.59%	5.27%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-24.78%	13.28%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	24.25%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Walmart (WMT) shows current ratio of 0.77; 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: --

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.77

Max: 2.04
Q3: 1.45
Median: 1.17
Q1: 1.00
WMT: 0.77
Min: 0.69

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Walmart (WMT) shows debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72; 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: --

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.72

Max: 2.59
Q3: 1.83
Median: 1.24
WMT: 0.72
Q1: 0.63
Min: 0.01

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

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	BRK.A	WMT
Current Ratio (MRQ)	--	0.77
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	--	0.72
Net Debt / EBITDA	--	1.44

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 Walmart (WMT) reports a yield of 0.76%, 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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.76%

Max: 2.90%
Q3: 1.72%
WMT: 0.76%
Median: 0.43%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Walmart (WMT): 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 Walmart (WMT) reports a payout of 34.96%, 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%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

34.96%

Max: 57.98%
WMT: 34.96%
Q3: 30.05%
Median: 11.72%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Walmart (WMT): 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 Walmart (WMT)
Metric	BRK.A	WMT
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.76%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	34.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) at 14.36 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Walmart (WMT) at 45.48 sits in the richer quartile — WMT 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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

45.48

Max: 50.75
WMT: 45.48
Q3: 33.64
Median: 22.19
Q1: 16.09
Min: 9.28

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Walmart (WMT): 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 Walmart (WMT) at 1.36 sits in the pricier quartile — WMT 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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.36

Max: 1.54
WMT: 1.36
Q3: 0.81
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.26
Min: 0.02

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Walmart (WMT): 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 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Walmart (WMT) at 10.15 carries an above-peer premium to book — WMT is pricier on assets.

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

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

10.15

WMT: 10.15
Max: 10.15
Q3: 6.27
Median: 3.70
Q1: 1.85
Min: 0.93

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) vs. Walmart (WMT): 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 Walmart (WMT)
Metric	BRK.A	WMT
P/E Ratio (TTM)	14.36	45.48
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.18	1.36
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	1.72	10.15
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	--	0.71%