Buffett's Caution: Warren Buffett has shifted from his optimistic stance during the 2008 market crash to a more cautious approach, reflected in Berkshire Hathaway's substantial cash position of $344 billion, indicating he views current stock valuations as too high.
Market Indicators: The Buffett indicator, which measures total stock market capitalization against GDP, is currently at 210%, suggesting investors are "playing with fire" according to Buffett's historical warnings about high valuations.
Historical Context: Past patterns show that significant cash reserves in Berkshire have often preceded market downturns, such as the 2008 financial crisis and the bear market of 2022, highlighting the importance of not ignoring Buffett's signals.
Selective Investment Strategy: Despite being a net seller of stocks for over 11 quarters, Buffett remains invested in equities, having selectively added to positions in nine stocks recently, while maintaining a long-term optimistic outlook.
BRK.B
$499.91+Infinity%1D
Analyst Views on BRK.B
Wall Street analysts forecast BRK.B stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for BRK.B is 538.00 USD with a low forecast of 481.00 USD and a high forecast of 595.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
2 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast BRK.B stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for BRK.B is 538.00 USD with a low forecast of 481.00 USD and a high forecast of 595.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
1 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 499.840
Low
481.00
Averages
538.00
High
595.00
Current: 499.840
Low
481.00
Averages
538.00
High
595.00
UBS
Brian Meredith
Strong Buy
Maintains
$536 → $557
2025-02-24
Reason
UBS
Brian Meredith
Price Target
$536 → $557
2025-02-24
Maintains
Strong Buy
Reason
UBS
Brian Meredith
Strong Buy
Maintains
$531 → $536
2025-01-24
Reason
UBS
Brian Meredith
Price Target
$531 → $536
2025-01-24
Maintains
Strong Buy
Reason
About BRK.B
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and its subsidiaries are engaged in diverse business activities, including insurance and reinsurance, utilities and energy, freight rail transportation, manufacturing, services and retailing. Its segments include Insurance, Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE), Pilot Travel Centers (Pilot), Manufacturing, McLane Company (McLane), and Service and retailing. The Insurance segment includes GEICO, Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group, and Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group. The BNSF segment includes the operation of railroad systems in North America. BHE segment offers regulated electric and gas utilities and real estate brokerage activities. Manufacturing segment manufacturers various products, such as industrial, consumer and building products. The McLane segment is engaged in wholesale distribution of groceries and non-food items. The Pilot segment is an operator of travel centers in North America and a marketer of wholesale fuel.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
