Berkshire Hathaway's Most Important Business Just Had a Great Year. Here's Why You Shouldn't Get Used to It.
Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) is a difficult company to understand. There's nothing about the individual businesses within the conglomerate that's all that difficult to wrap one's head around. The problem is that there are so many different business lines under the Berkshire umbrella. That said, the company's most important business had a great year in 2024. But don't get used to it.As noted, Berkshire Hathaway is a conglomerate. So it doesn't just do one thing, it does many things. Usually conglomerates have a few related businesses under one corporate umbrella. Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio is massively diverse. It includes electric utilities, trains, energy pipelines, paint, home building, various retail establishments, various manufacturers, and insurance. That's not even an exhaustive list.Image source: The Motley Fool.Continue reading

Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) is a difficult company to understand. There's nothing about the individual businesses within the conglomerate that's all that difficult to wrap one's head around. The problem is that there are so many different business lines under the Berkshire umbrella. That said, the company's most important business had a great year in 2024. But don't get used to it.
As noted, Berkshire Hathaway is a conglomerate. So it doesn't just do one thing, it does many things. Usually conglomerates have a few related businesses under one corporate umbrella. Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio is massively diverse. It includes electric utilities, trains, energy pipelines, paint, home building, various retail establishments, various manufacturers, and insurance. That's not even an exhaustive list.
Image source: The Motley Fool.