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Compare Stocks › BRK-B vs EQR

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B) vs Equity Residential (EQR)

BRK-B
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
$481.48
VS
EQR
Equity Residential
$59.31

Rewards

BRK-B
  • ★Each dollar of retained earnings has created $1.66 of market value — management is creating shareholder value.
  • ★Net debt/EBITDA of -2.2x means the company holds more cash than debt — a net cash position.
EQR
  • ★Gross margin of 62.9% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Trailing P/E of 20.2x is 22% below the historical average of 26.0x — potentially undervalued relative to its own history.

Risks

BRK-B
  • ⚠Berkshire Hathaway Inc. scores only 16/100 on the Economic Moat Score, suggesting limited durable competitive advantages.
  • ⚠Trailing P/E of 15.5x is 75% above the historical average of 8.9x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.
EQR
  • ⚠Despite buyback spending, shares outstanding increased in 2 out of 3 years — stock-based compensation is offsetting repurchases.
  • ⚠FCF yield of 6.1% suggests reasonable valuation assuming continued moderate growth.
  • ⚠Net debt/EBITDA of 4.5x indicates heavy leverage — it would take over 4 years of EBITDA to pay off net debt.

Key Valuation Metrics

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BRK-B
EQR
Valuation
$36.80B
Free Cash Flow
$1.42B
3.54%
FCF Yield
6.09%
15.50
Trailing P/E
20.17
22.11
Forward P/E
39.42
Quality & Moat
11.31%
ROIC
3.50%
9.30%
ROE
9.81%
26.15%
Gross Margin
62.88%
N/A
PEG Ratio
N/A
Balance Sheet Safety
0.19
Debt / Equity
0.74
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
-2.15
Net Debt / EBITDA
4.48
N/A
Dividend Yield
4.67%
BRK-B: 6Ties: 1EQR: 3
BRK-BEQR

Historical Fundamentals

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BRK-B

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

EQR

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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BRK-B
$1.66
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Value Creator
Σ Retained
$252.19B
Δ Market Cap
+$417.98B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
EQR
N/A
Net losses over 3 years — test not applicable
Company had negative cumulative retained earnings
Σ Retained
$-71.0M
Δ Market Cap
+$1.49B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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BRK-B
31.1% Margin of Safety
Price is 31.1% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $481.48
Fair Value: $699.14
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
EQR
14.7% Overvalued
Price is 14.7% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $59.31
Fair Value: $51.69
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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BRK-B

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $481?

+0.7%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +8.8%

The market implies +0.7% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +8.8%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

EQR

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $59?

+12.4%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +9.2%

The market implies +12.4% Owner Earnings growth, roughly in line with history — reasonably priced.

Standard FCF implies +9.2%, reflecting ongoing growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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BRK-B
16/100
No Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

No durable moat detected, though reinvestment efficiency shows some competitive positioning. The business lacks consistent evidence of sustainable advantages.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 5 years of fundamental data.
EQR
60/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with revenue predictability as the key competitive advantage. Improving roic consistency would strengthen the moat.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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BRK-B
-2.41
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
EQR
-2.57
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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BRK-B
Insiders 0.3%Institutions 66.2%Retail & Other 33.5%
No. of Institutional Holders5,852
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
EQR
Insiders 0.6%Institutions 96.2%Retail & Other 3.2%
No. of Institutional Holders1,043
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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BRK-B
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
EQR
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
GARECHANA ROBERT A
Chief Financial Officer
$279.00
@ $69.75 · 2025-03-17
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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BRK-B
0
Sells (3M)
0
Sells (12M)
No open market insider sales found.
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
EQR
6
Sells (3M)
7
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $985,890
MANELIS MICHAEL L
Chief Operating Officer
$154,387
@ $63.56 · 2026-02-18
CARRAWAY CATHERINE
Officer
$47,606
@ $63.56 · 2026-02-18
KAUFMAN IAN
Officer
$57,776
@ $63.56 · 2026-02-18
MANELIS MICHAEL L
Chief Operating Officer
$375,474
@ $65.13 · 2026-02-10
GARECHANA ROBERT A
Chief Investment Officer
$236,878
@ $65.13 · 2026-02-10
CARRAWAY CATHERINE
Officer
$42,725
@ $65.13 · 2026-02-10
CARRAWAY CATHERINE
Officer
$71,044
@ $70.55 · 2025-05-01
MANELIS MICHAEL L
Chief Operating Officer
$683,761
@ $72.07 · 2025-02-06
FENSTER SCOTT J.
General Counsel
$384,800
@ $72.06 · 2025-02-06
GARECHANA ROBERT A
Chief Financial Officer
$309,426
@ $72.06 · 2025-02-06
BRACKENRIDGE ALEXANDER
Chief Operating Officer
$897,796
@ $72.06 · 2025-02-06
CARRAWAY CATHERINE
Officer
$60,891
@ $72.06 · 2025-02-06
KAUFMAN IAN
Officer
$46,263
@ $72.06 · 2025-02-06
STERRETT STEPHEN E
Director
$151,713
@ $72.21 · 2025-02-05
MANELIS MICHAEL L
Chief Operating Officer
$143,000
@ $71.50 · 2024-11-07
CARRAWAY CATHERINE
Officer
$74,200
@ $74.20 · 2024-08-28
BRACKENRIDGE ALEXANDER
Chief Investment Officer
$813,094
@ $72.52 · 2024-08-22
FENSTER SCOTT J.
General Counsel
$214,992
@ $72.00 · 2024-08-21
KAUFMAN IAN
Officer
$466,848
@ $72.00 · 2024-08-21
MANELIS MICHAEL L
Chief Operating Officer
$213,750
@ $71.25 · 2024-08-07
GARECHANA ROBERT A
Chief Financial Officer
$439,142
@ $69.08 · 2024-06-24
BYNOE LINDA WALKER
Director
$208,169
@ $64.23 · 2024-05-31
HABEN MARY KAY
Director
$212,221
@ $65.48 · 2024-04-26
BRACKENRIDGE ALEXANDER
Chief Investment Officer
$261,795
@ $65.01 · 2024-04-24
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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BRK-B
FearGreed
😐Neutral(48/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
EQR
FearGreed
😨Fear(37/100)

"Market is pessimistic — investigate whether fears are temporary or structural"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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BRK-B
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (48)
EQR
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Fear (37)
View BRK-B Full AnalysisView EQR Full Analysis
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B) vs Equity Residential (EQR) Stock Comparison | SafetyMargin.io