Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway

A company that holds a wide variety of investments for shareholders. It was founded in 1839 as a textile manufacturing company. In 1962, Warren Buffett began buying its shares and eventually took a controlling stake in the company. Buffett expanded Berkshire Hathaway into insurance and used the proceeds to finance other investments. Buffett used the value investing philosophy in picking Berkshire's investments, which in general have been highly profitable. For example, these investments returned 76% to shareholders between 2000 and 2010. It often is held up as a primary example of the success of value investing.