BRK.B vs. SCHW: Berkshire Hathaway vs. Charles Schwab Stock Comparison
How do Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) 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.B) and Charles Schwab (SCHW) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but BRK.B is classified in Financial Services while SCHW is classified in Capital Markets.
| Profile Item | BRK.B | SCHW |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class B | Charles Schwab Corporation |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Financials | Financials |
| GICS Industry Group | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| GICS Industry | Financial Services | Capital Markets |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Multi-Sector Holdings | Investment Banking & Brokerage |
| Market Capitalization | 1,078.98 billion USD | 192.11 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | NYSE | NYSE |
| Listing Date | May 9, 1996 | September 22, 1987 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | BRK.B | SCHW |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | 5.18% | 15.06% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 12.03% | 23.29% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | 11.85% | 9.92% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
| Metric | BRK.B | SCHW |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 14.62% | 24.96% |
| Beta (5Y) | 0.60 | 0.76 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -26.58% | -49.70% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 4.82M | 10.24M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | BRK.B | SCHW |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | 0.08 | 0.44 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | 0.12 | 0.59 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 12.12% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 20.27% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.
BRK.B
Financial Services industry group
12.12%
- Max
- 48.53%
- Q3
- 22.22%
- Median
- 12.75%
- BRK.B
- 12.12%
- Q1
- 4.09%
- Min
- -22.61%
SCHW
Financial Services industry group
20.27%
- Max
- 48.53%
- Q3
- 22.22%
- SCHW
- 20.27%
- Median
- 12.75%
- Q1
- 4.09%
- Min
- -22.61%
Net Margin (TTM)
Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 38.79% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 22.30%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.
BRK.B
Financial Services industry group
22.30%
- Max
- 66.61%
- Q3
- 29.41%
- BRK.B
- 22.30%
- Median
- 16.08%
- Q1
- 4.44%
- Min
- -30.54%
SCHW
Financial Services industry group
38.79%
- Max
- 66.61%
- SCHW
- 38.79%
- Q3
- 29.41%
- Median
- 16.08%
- Q1
- 4.44%
- Min
- -30.54%
Operating Margin (TTM)
Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 32.56% and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 52.28% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.
BRK.B
Financial Services industry group
32.56%
- Max
- 96.23%
- Q3
- 53.97%
- BRK.B
- 32.56%
- Median
- 28.94%
- Q1
- 11.79%
- Min
- -46.79%
SCHW
Financial Services industry group
52.28%
- Max
- 96.23%
- Q3
- 53.97%
- SCHW
- 52.28%
- Median
- 28.94%
- Q1
- 11.79%
- Min
- -46.79%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | BRK.B | SCHW |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 12.12% | 20.27% |
| ROA (TTM) | 6.01% | 2.07% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 22.30% | 38.79% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 32.56% | 52.28% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 22.01% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at -3.23% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.
EPS Growth
Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 55.52% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at -24.78% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for SCHW.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | BRK.B | SCHW |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | -3.23% | 22.01% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 20.59% | 4.83% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | -24.78% | 55.52% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -- | 9.93% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) in Financial Services and Charles Schwab (SCHW) 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.B) in Financial Services and Charles Schwab (SCHW) 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
| Metric | BRK.B | SCHW |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | -- | -- |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | -- | -- |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | -- | -- |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Charles Schwab (SCHW) reports a yield of 1.08%, ranking against industry peers normally.
BRK.B
Financial Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 17.41%
- Q3
- 7.19%
- Median
- 1.49%
- BRK.B
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
SCHW
Financial Services industry group
1.08%
- Max
- 17.41%
- Q3
- 7.19%
- Median
- 1.49%
- SCHW
- 1.08%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Charles Schwab (SCHW) reports a payout of 21.49%, ranking against industry peers normally.
BRK.B
Financial Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 223.44%
- Q3
- 89.87%
- Median
- 25.19%
- BRK.B
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
SCHW
Financial Services industry group
21.49%
- Max
- 223.44%
- Q3
- 89.87%
- Median
- 25.19%
- SCHW
- 21.49%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | BRK.B | SCHW |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 1.08% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 21.49% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Both Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 12.75 and Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 20.23 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.
BRK.B
Financial Services industry group
12.75
- Max
- 50.93
- Q3
- 26.65
- Median
- 16.33
- BRK.B
- 12.75
- Q1
- 10.01
- Min
- 2.15
SCHW
Financial Services industry group
20.23
- Max
- 50.93
- Q3
- 26.65
- SCHW
- 20.23
- Median
- 16.33
- Q1
- 10.01
- Min
- 2.15
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 2.80 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 7.38 sits in the pricier quartile — SCHW costs more per dollar of sales.
BRK.B
Financial Services industry group
2.80
- Max
- 9.98
- Q3
- 4.93
- Median
- 2.98
- BRK.B
- 2.80
- Q1
- 1.55
- Min
- -1.13
SCHW
Financial Services industry group
7.38
- Max
- 9.98
- SCHW
- 7.38
- Q3
- 4.93
- Median
- 2.98
- Q1
- 1.55
- Min
- -1.13
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at 0.00 looks cheap against book in the lower P/B ratio quartile, while Charles Schwab (SCHW) at 4.37 carries a premium in the upper quartile — a clear price-to-book gap.
BRK.B
Financial Services industry group
0.00
- Max
- 7.91
- Q3
- 3.71
- Median
- 1.60
- Q1
- 0.85
- BRK.B
- 0.00
- Min
- -0.34
SCHW
Financial Services industry group
4.37
- Max
- 7.91
- SCHW
- 4.37
- Q3
- 3.71
- Median
- 1.60
- Q1
- 0.85
- Min
- -0.34
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | BRK.B | SCHW |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 12.75 | 20.23 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 2.80 | 7.38 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 0.00 | 4.37 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | -- | -- |