Honestly, the mood around the berkshire b share price feels a little weird right now. For decades, the script was simple: Warren Buffett buys stuff, the stock goes up, and everyone sleeps like a baby. But as of January 2026, we’re officially in the "After" period.
Warren Buffett retired as CEO on December 31, 2025, ending a 60-year run that basically redefined American capitalism. Now, Greg Abel is at the wheel. The stock market is acting like it’s holding its breath, and the price action reflects that.
Where the berkshire b share price stands today
If you’re checking your portfolio this week, you’ll see the berkshire b share price hovering around $492.62. It’s been oscillating in this tight range between $490 and $500 for a while.
We saw a 52-week high of $542.07 not too long ago, but since the leadership transition became "real," the momentum has sort of leveled off. It’s not a crash. Far from it. It’s more of a giant pause. The company still has a market cap north of $1.06 trillion. That’s a "T," as in trillion.
Investors are basically asking: "Can Greg Abel actually do the thing?"
The OxyChem deal and the cash pile
One of the first big moves of 2026 was Berkshire closing a $9.7 billion acquisition of OxyChem, Occidental’s chemical unit, on January 2. It’s a classic Berkshire move—buying a cash-heavy industrial asset that isn't exactly "flashy" but makes money while everyone else is chasing AI startups.
Speaking of cash, the hoard is getting ridiculous. By the end of Q3 2025, Berkshire was sitting on $381.7 billion in cash and equivalents. Most of that is parked in T-bills.
There's a growing choir of analysts, especially over at The Motley Fool, predicting that 2026 might be the year Berkshire finally caves and starts paying a dividend.
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Buffett hated dividends. He thought he could always invest that dollar better than you could. But with $380 billion in the bank and Greg Abel looking to make his mark, the pressure to return value to shareholders is reaching a fever pitch.
Why the "B" shares matter more than ever
Most people can't afford a single Class A share ($BRK.A), which is currently trading for roughly what a nice house in the suburbs costs. That’s why the berkshire b share price is the real barometer for the average investor.
The "Baby Berkshires" give you 1/1,500th of the economic interest of an A share but without the "I need to sell my primary residence to buy one" barrier to entry.
- Valuation check: The Price-to-Book (P/B) ratio is sitting around 1.52.
- Earnings: Q3 2025 operating income jumped 34% to $13.49 billion.
- The Tech Shift: Berkshire recently picked up $4.9 billion worth of Alphabet (Google). They’re slowly moving away from just being "the insurance and railroad guys."
The "Greg Abel" discount?
Some traders think there’s a slight "succession discount" baked into the current price. It’s the fear that without Buffett’s "Oracle" aura, the stock won't command the same premium.
But look at the guts of the business. Geico is printing money again. BNSF Railway is steady. The energy division is massive. Greg Abel has been running the non-insurance side for years, so it's not like a stranger just walked in off the street.
What’s actually driving the price right now?
It’s not just about who’s in the corner office. The berkshire b share price is sensitive to the broader economy because Berkshire is the economy.
When insurance rates for commercial property fall—which they did by about 4% late last year—it hits the bottom line. When natural disasters like the recent California wildfires cause massive insured losses (estimated at $107 billion for the industry in 2025), Berkshire feels it.
Yet, the "float" remains the secret sauce. Berkshire has roughly $176 billion in insurance float—money they hold but don't own—which they use to fund their massive investments.
The technicals are boring (and that's good)
If you’re into charts, the 20-day, 50-day, and 200-day moving averages are all bunched up around that $500 mark.
Technical analysts call this a "neutral backdrop." There’s no clear trend. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is sitting at 48.59. For a stock this size, boring is usually a sign of health. It means there’s no panic selling despite the biggest leadership change in half a century.
Is Berkshire still a "Buy" in 2026?
Opinions are split, which is healthy.
Chubb ($CB) is actually outperforming Berkshire in some metrics right now, specifically Return on Equity (ROE). Some value hunters think Chubb is a better play in the insurance space.
On the other hand, Simply Wall St recently used a discounted cash flow model to argue that the berkshire b share price is actually 36% undervalued. Their "fair value" estimate is way higher than the current $492, suggesting that if you hold this for five years, you’re getting a steal.
Actionable insights for your portfolio
If you're watching the ticker, here's how to play it:
- Watch the $500 level. This is a psychological wall. If the price manages a sustained close above $515, we could see a run back toward the all-time highs of $542.
- Monitor the February 23 earnings call. This will be Greg Abel's first big "solo" performance. Expect a lot of questions about that $380 billion cash pile and whether a dividend is actually on the table.
- Check the 13F filings. See if they keep buying Alphabet or if they dive deeper into other tech names like Meta. A shift toward tech could re-rate the stock's P/E ratio higher.
- Don't overreact to Buffett's absence. The culture of decentralization at Berkshire is designed to survive one man. The managers at See's Candies or Dairy Queen don't need a phone call from Omaha to know how to run their shops.
The era of 20% compounded annual gains might be over simply because the company is too big to grow that fast anymore. But as a "fortress" for your wealth? The berkshire b share price remains one of the most resilient numbers on the board.
If you’re looking for a lottery ticket, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for a company that owns the literal tracks the American economy runs on, you're in the right place. Just don't expect the fireworks of the old days. Expect steady, boring, and (hopefully) profitable.
To stay ahead, keep a close eye on the February 2026 annual report for the updated "Intrinsic Value" calculation—it's the one metric Buffett always told us to watch, and it remains the gold standard for valuing this beast.