Expensive is a relative term when discussing the stock market. Many investors measure a share’s cost by the stock’s price relative to its earnings or sales.
See: 3 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000
However, some become drawn to a company’s shares merely because of the quoted price. One stock has become so expensive that a single share is worth more than a house in many parts of the country. Although it might be hard to comprehend how a piece of paper could carry such value, a stock’s price may not represent the value of a company as well as some might assume.
What Is the Highest Stock Price Right Now?
As noted, investors can determine the highest-priced stock in multiple ways. For this article, GOBankingRates defined “expensive” by the quoted stock price.
The most expensive stock in terms of the stock price is an A share of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A). This stock closed at $544,190 per share on Nov. 17. Warren Buffett, the company’s longtime owner, is the one who helped take these shares to such heights.
About Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway is involved in a number of different business activities, with subsidiaries operating in industries ranging from insurance to real estate, energy and utilities, rail freight, food service and consumer products like jewelry, furniture and housewares. Some of its well-known brands include Geico, Dairy Queen, Oriental Trading Company, Duracell and Fruit of the Loom.
Despite the popularity of the brands Berkshire Hathaway owns, many know it best for its stock holdings. In fact, investors wait for Buffett to release his annual letter to shareholders each year, in part because the letters list Berkshire Hathaway’s holdings. These consist of a portfolio of well-known companies, with Apple constituting its largest holding in terms of market value and Bank of America topping the list in terms of number of shares owned.
Berkshire Hathaway Stock
Berkshire Hathaway stock has reached its price for two primary reasons. One is Buffett’s aversion to stock splits. As the term implies, a stock split divides the shares into multiple pieces. Say, for example, you own 100 shares of Company X at $100 per share. If that company instituted a 4-for-1 stock split, shares would separate into four equal parts. This would give you 400 shares of Company X at $25 per share.
The second reason is earnings growth. Stocks tend to trade at a multiple of their earnings. Over time, Berkshire has experienced massive growth.
In 1965, the company reported gains of just under $4.85 million. By 2019, the most recent year with revenue unaffected by the pandemic, the company reported net earnings of more than $21 billion, or $49,828 per share. This means that profits increased almost 17,000-fold between 1965 and 2019.
Earnings per share have more recently been more volatile, and they saw negative growth in 2022. However, the company is and will remain flush with a “boatload of cash and U.S. Treasury bills,” Buffett wrote in a February letter to shareholders. Berkshire Hathaway has gained over $68 billion in market value since the beginning of the year, and the stock is up over 9%.
Good To Know
Berkshire’s A shares have never split. However, to attract small investors, the company introduced B shares (NYSE: BRK.B). Today, a B share is about 1/1,500 the size of an A share. Smaller shareholders often invest in the company through shares of BRK.B, which had a closing price of $358.93 per share on Nov. 17.
What Are the 10 Most Expensive Stocks Right Now?
Berkshire Hathaway is far from the only stock that has risen to a high share price. These are the most expensive stock shares as measured by the closing share price on Nov. 17.
1. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (A Shares) (BRK.A)
- Price: $544,190 per share
- Market Capitalization: $789.08 billion
- Net Income (2022): -$22.82 billion
- Services Provided: Insurer, holding company
- Competitors and Similar Companies: Allstate, Progressive
2. NVR Inc. (NVR)
- Price: $6,298.00 per share
- Market Capitalization: $20.02 billion
- Net Income (2022): $1.73 billion
- Services Provided: Home building, mortgage banking
- Competitors and Similar Companies: D.R. Horton, Lennar
3. Seaboard Corp. (SEB)
- Price: $3,569.99 per share
- Market Capitalization: $3.47 billion
- Net Income (2022): $580 million
- Services Provided: Food, shipping, commodity trading
- Competitors and Similar Companies: Bunge, Tassal Group
4. Booking Holdings Inc., Formerly Priceline (BKNG)
- Price: $3,135.25 per share
- Market Capitalization: $109.39 billion
- Net Income (2022): $3.06 billion
- Services Provided: Online travel services
- Competitors and Similar Companies: Expedia, Tripadvisor
5. AutoZone Inc. (AZO)
- Price: $2,627.05 per share
- Market Capitalization: $46.33 billion
- Net Income (2023): $2.53 billion
- Services Provided: Retail automotive replacement parts and accessories
- Competitors and Similar Companies: O’Reilly Auto Parts, Advance Auto Parts
6. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG)
- Price: $2,162.22 per share
- Market Capitalization: $59.34 billion
- Net Income (2022): $899.1 million
- Services Provided: Fast-casual dining
- Competitors and Similar Companies: BJ’s Restaurants, Noodles & Co.
7. Texas Pacific Land Corp. (TPL)
- Price: $1,652.00 per share
- Market Capitalization: $12.68 billion
- Net Income (2022): $446.36 million
- Services Provided: Oil and gas exploration and production
- Competitors and Similar Companies: Black Stone Minerals LP, Brigham Minerals Inc.
8. White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. (WTM)
- Price: $1,477.98 per share
- Market Capitalization: $3.78 billion
- Net Income (2022): $792.8 million
- Services Provided: Insurance, financial services
- Competitors and Similar Companies: The Hanover Insurance Group, Axis Capital
9. First Citizens BancShares Inc. (FCNCA)
- Price: $1,460.11 per share
- Market Capitalization: $21.02 billion
- Net Income (2022): $1.05 billion
- Services Provided: Banks, regional
- Competitors and Similar Companies: M&T Bank Corp., Mizuho Financial Group Inc.
10. MercadoLibre Inc. (MELI)
- Price: $1,448.00 per share
- Market Capitalization: $73.21 billion
- Net Income (2022): $482 million
- Services Provided: Internet retail
- Competitors and Similar Companies: Sea Limited, Global-e Online Ltd., Etsy Inc.
Investing In Expensive Stocks
At first glance, investing in expensive stocks might seem out of reach to the average investor and beginner investors.
Indeed, in previous decades, stocks might split to attract average investors. That was one reason cited for Amazon’s split in June 2022. They might also split to earn a place or stay on the Dow Jones index. Because the Dow is price-weighted, shares with high prices can wield a disproportionate influence on the index, prompting the Dow to drop the company to keep the index in balance. Many believe that was one major factor in Apple’s 2020 4-for-1 stock split.
Keep in Mind
B shares and stock splits aren’t your only option for owning shares in these ultra-expensive companies. Thanks to trading apps such as Robinhood, smaller investors can now buy fractional shares. Hence, splits may become more infrequent than in previous decades.
Moreover, investors tend to evaluate stock prices relative to earnings. Given this measure, investors might happily pay $544,190 per share when it produces tens of thousands of dollars per share in returns in a single year, as Berkshire Hathaway typically does. Conversely, $2,162.22 per share for Chipotle may appear expensive in comparison, with its much smaller earnings — close to $40 — relative to share price.
It’s important to remember that while a high share price might result from significant growth in the past, it’s not always a reliable indicator of a stock to buy for the future.
Daria Uhlig contributed to the reporting for this article.
Data was compiled on Nov. 19, 2023, and is subject to change.
This article has been updated with additional reporting since its original publication.