If you had invested $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway stock 5 years ago, you would have that much today

Led by Warren Buffett, one of the most famous and successful investors of all time, Berkshire-Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) has delivered incredible returns to shareholders over its long history. Buffett knows how to “pick them,” as the saying goes.

Berkshire's success is based on the investment philosophy of Buffett and his late business partner Charlie Munger, which aims to find “wonderful” companies and hold on to them for the long term – not unlike our philosophy at Motley Fool. These wonderful companies include some of the biggest names in the world: Coca-Cola, American ExpressAnd Appleto name just a few.

Their approach made both men billionaires and made the company the only non-tech U.S. company to exceed $1 trillion in market capitalization.

The increase in value of Berkshire Hathaway shares worth $1,000

If you had invested $1,000 in Berkshire five years ago, your investment would be worth over $2,300 today. That's a gain of 132%, or 18% on an annualized basis – not a bad return! The S&P500 has only risen by 85% in the same period. Berkshire's return even exceeded that of the technology-heavy Nasdaq-Compositewhich represents an increase of 111%.

The best time to invest in Berkshire would have been a long time ago, but better late than never. Berkshire remains a phenomenal company today. You may not enjoy quite the growth rates of years past – and yes, Buffett is a bit older – but Berkshire is still making sound investment decisions and increasing shareholder wealth.

Investors can expect the company to be guided by the same philosophy and values ​​in the years to come. The future continues to look bright for Berkshire.

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American Express is an affiliate of The Ascent, a Motley Fool company. Johnny Rice does not own any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns and recommends Apple and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

If you invested $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway stock 5 years ago, this is how much you would have today. Original publication by The Motley Fool