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Compare Stocks › BRK-B vs GWW

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B) vs W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW)

BRK-B
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
$481.48
VS
GWW
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
$1043.05

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.
GWW
  • ★W.W. Grainger, Inc. has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★W.W. Grainger, Inc. scores 90/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with revenue predictability as the strongest competitive dimension.
  • ★Return on equity has consistently exceeded 20% over 4 years, indicating efficient use of shareholder capital.

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.
GWW
  • ⚠FCF yield of 2.2% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.

Key Valuation Metrics

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BRK-B
GWW
Valuation
$36.80B
Free Cash Flow
$1.09B
3.54%
FCF Yield
2.21%
15.50
Trailing P/E
29.50
22.11
Forward P/E
21.49
Quality & Moat
11.31%
ROIC
29.82%
9.30%
ROE
41.20%
26.15%
Gross Margin
39.06%
N/A
PEG Ratio
N/A
Balance Sheet Safety
0.19
Debt / Equity
0.69
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
-2.15
Net Debt / EBITDA
0.77
N/A
Dividend Yield
0.87%
BRK-B: 5Ties: 2GWW: 3
BRK-BGWW

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.

GWW

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
GWW
$4.78
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Exceptional Value Creator
Σ Retained
$4.16B
Δ Market Cap
+$19.89B
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
GWW
15.6% Overvalued
Price is 15.6% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $1043.05
Fair Value: $902.07
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.

GWW

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $1043?

+13.3%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +19.5%

The market implies +13.3% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +19.5%, reflecting heavy 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.
GWW
90/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Revenue Predictability is the standout factor.

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.
GWW
-2.53
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.
GWW
Insiders 6.2%Institutions 76.8%Retail & Other 17.0%
No. of Institutional Holders1,676
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
GWW
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
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
GWW
0
Sells (3M)
6
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $28.91M
BERARDINELLI KRANTZ NANCY L
Officer
$199,666
@ $1023.93 · 2025-12-16
MACPHERSON DONALD G
Chief Executive Officer
$25.96M
@ $972.70 · 2025-12-05
LEROY JONATHAN MICHAEL
Chief Technology Officer
$496,430
@ $992.86 · 2025-09-09
BERARDINELLI KRANTZ NANCY L
Officer
$301,056
@ $1075.20 · 2025-05-23
THOMSON LAURIE R.
Officer
$793,615
@ $1042.86 · 2025-05-06
MERRIWETHER DEIDRA C
Chief Financial Officer
$1.16M
@ $997.12 · 2025-04-02
THOMSON LAURIE R.
Officer
$340,774
@ $1020.28 · 2025-03-10
THOMSON LAURIE R.
Officer
$340,775
@ $1020.28 · 2025-03-10
BERARDINELLI KRANTZ NANCY L
Officer
$301,707
@ $1192.52 · 2024-11-06
ROBBINS PAIGE K
Officer
$10.71M
@ $1117.84 · 2024-11-05
MERRIWETHER DEIDRA C
Chief Financial Officer
$778,337
@ $1105.59 · 2024-11-01
MACPHERSON DONALD G
Chief Executive Officer
$13.48M
@ $1037.68 · 2024-09-30
MACPHERSON DONALD G
Chief Executive Officer
$27.52M
@ $1000.82 · 2024-09-16
FORTIN MATT
Officer
$467,667
@ $915.20 · 2024-06-20
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.
GWW
FearGreed
😐Neutral(43/100)

"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.

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)
GWW
⚪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 (43)
View BRK-B Full AnalysisView GWW Full Analysis
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B) vs W.W. Grainger, Inc. (GWW) Stock Comparison | SafetyMargin.io