Berkshire Hathaway Stock: Is Wall Street Bullish or Bearish?

With a market cap of $1.1 trillion, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B) is a diversified holding company with operations spanning insurance and reinsurance, freight rail transportation, utilities, and energy. It also operates businesses across manufacturing, services, and retailing, giving the company a broad and diversified business portfolio.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company's shares have lagged behind the broader market over the past 52 weeks. BRK.B stock has risen 11.3% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied 23.4%. Moreover, shares of the company are up 2.8% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX’s 13.5% gain. 

In addition, shares of Berkshire Hathaway have also underperformed the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLF) 12.7% return over the past 52 weeks. 

Berkshire Hathaway reported Q1 2026 results on May 2, with operating profit of $11.35 billion, up 18% from $9.64 billion a year earlier, while net income more than doubled to $10.1 billion from $4.6 billion. Additionally, insurance operations profit increased 4% to $4.4 billion, BNSF profit rose 13% to $1.38 billion, and Berkshire's manufacturing, service and retail profit increased 5% to $3.2 billion.

For the fiscal year ending in December 2026, analysts expect Berkshire Hathaway’s EPS to rise 1.2% year-over-year to $20.87. The company’s earnings surprise history is mixed. It beat the consensus estimates in two of the last four quarters while missing on two other occasions. 

Among the six analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” That’s based on two “Strong Buy” ratings and four “Holds.” 

This configuration has remained unchanged over the past three months.

On Jul. 28, UBS raised Berkshire Hathaway’s price target to $585 and maintained a “Buy” rating.

The mean price target of $527.80 represents a 2.7% premium to BRK.B’s current price levels. The Street-high price target of $585 suggests a 13.8% potential upside.