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Compare Stocks › BRK-B vs VZ

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-B) vs Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ)

BRK-B
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
$481.48
VS
VZ
Verizon Communications Inc.
$49.48

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.
VZ
  • ★Free cash flow has grown at a 23.7% CAGR over the past 4 years, demonstrating strong earnings power growth.
  • ★Dividend yield of 5.72% with a consistent or growing payout over the past 4 years.
  • ★FCF yield of 8.3% is historically attractive — the business generates significant cash relative to its price.

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.
VZ
  • ⚠Altman Z-Score of 1.24 places the company in the distress zone — financial patterns resemble those of companies that experienced bankruptcy.

Key Valuation Metrics

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BRK-B
VZ
Valuation
$36.80B
Free Cash Flow
$17.24B
3.54%
FCF Yield
8.26%
15.50
Trailing P/E
12.19
22.11
Forward P/E
9.40
Quality & Moat
11.31%
ROIC
7.89%
9.30%
ROE
16.24%
26.15%
Gross Margin
59.07%
N/A
PEG Ratio
N/A
Balance Sheet Safety
0.19
Debt / Equity
1.75
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
-2.15
Net Debt / EBITDA
3.32
N/A
Dividend Yield
5.72%
BRK-B: 4Ties: 1VZ: 5
BRK-BVZ

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.

VZ

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
VZ
$0.50
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Mediocre Allocator
Σ Retained
$12.54B
Δ Market Cap
+$6.29B
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
VZ
11.2% Overvalued
Price is 11.2% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $49.48
Fair Value: $44.50
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.

VZ

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $49?

+8.9%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +8.8%

The market implies +8.9% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +8.8%, 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.
VZ
55/100
Narrow Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Narrow moat with margin stability 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.
VZ
-2.69
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.
VZ
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 68.9%Retail & Other 31.1%
No. of Institutional Holders3,832
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
VZ
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
VZ
2
Sells (3M)
7
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $2.67M
STILLWELL MARY-LEE
Officer
$428,450
@ $50.00 · 2026-03-02
RUSSO JOSEPH J.
Officer
$429,906
@ $44.88 · 2026-02-02
MALADY KYLE
Officer
$438,101
@ $43.81 · 2025-05-08
MALADY KYLE
Officer
$396,900
@ $44.10 · 2025-05-07
MALADY KYLE
Officer
$329,062
@ $43.87 · 2025-04-30
MALADY KYLE
Officer
$430,240
@ $43.02 · 2025-04-24
MALADY KYLE
Officer
$212,425
@ $42.48 · 2025-04-23
VENKATESH VANDANA
Officer
$437,939
@ $43.79 · 2025-02-25
MALADY KYLE
Officer
$261,623
@ $39.70 · 2025-02-04
MALADY KYLE
Officer
$319,080
@ $39.88 · 2025-02-03
MALADY KYLE
Chief Executive Officer
$453,155
@ $40.88 · 2025-01-29
MALADY KYLE
Officer
$809,800
@ $40.49 · 2025-01-28
MALADY KYLE
Officer
$810,800
@ $40.54 · 2025-01-27
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.
VZ
FearGreed
😏Greed(61/100)

"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"

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)
VZ
⚪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: Greed (61)
View BRK-B Full AnalysisView VZ Full Analysis