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Common stock | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2023
Equity [Abstract] |
Common stock | (22) Common stock The changes in Berkshire’s issued, treasury and outstanding common stock for each of the three years ending December 31, 2023 are shown in the table below. In addition, 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock are authorized, but none are issued.
|  | Class A, $5 Par Value (1,650,000 shares authorized) |  |  | Class B, $0.0033 Par Value (3,225,000,000 shares authorized) |
|  | Issued |  |  | Treasury |  |  | Outstanding |  |  | Issued |  |  | Treasury |  |  | Outstanding |
Balance at December 31, 2020 |  |  | 678,523 |  |  |  | (34,592 | ) |  |  | 643,931 |  |  |  | 1,469,359,852 |  |  |  | (119,316,381 | ) |  |  | 1,350,043,471 |
Conversions of Class A to Class B common stock |  |  | (12,622 | ) |  |  | — |  |  |  | (12,622 | ) |  |  | 18,933,000 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 18,933,000 |
Treasury stock acquired |  |  | — |  |  |  | (14,196 | ) |  |  | (14,196 | ) |  |  | — |  |  |  | (78,501,968 | ) |  |  | (78,501,968 | )
Balance at December 31, 2021 |  |  | 665,901 |  |  |  | (48,788 | ) |  |  | 617,113 |  |  |  | 1,488,292,852 |  |  |  | (197,818,349 | ) |  |  | 1,290,474,503 |
Conversions of Class A to Class B common stock |  |  | (14,451 | ) |  |  | — |  |  |  | (14,451 | ) |  |  | 21,676,500 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 21,676,500 |
Treasury stock acquired |  |  | — |  |  |  | (11,098 | ) |  |  | (11,098 | ) |  |  | — |  |  |  | (9,896,927 | ) |  |  | (9,896,927 | )
Balance at December 31, 2022 |  |  | 651,450 |  |  |  | (59,886 | ) |  |  | 591,564 |  |  |  | 1,509,969,352 |  |  |  | (207,715,276 | ) |  |  | 1,302,254,076 |
Conversions of Class A to Class B common stock |  |  | (12,122 | ) |  |  | — |  |  |  | (12,122 | ) |  |  | 18,183,000 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 18,183,000 |
Treasury stock acquired |  |  | — |  |  |  | (11,667 | ) |  |  | (11,667 | ) |  |  | — |  |  |  | (9,875,568 | ) |  |  | (9,875,568 | )
Balance at December 31, 2023 |  |  | 639,328 |  |  |  | (71,553 | ) |  |  | 567,775 |  |  |  | 1,528,152,352 |  |  |  | (217,590,844 | ) |  |  | 1,310,561,508 |
Each Class A common share is entitled to one vote per share. Class B common stock possesses dividend and distribution rights equal to one-fifteen-hundredth (1/1,500) of such rights of Class A common stock. Each Class B common share possesses voting rights equal to one-ten-thousandth (1/10,000) of the voting rights of a Class A share. Unless otherwise required under Delaware General Corporation Law, Class A and Class B common shares vote as a single class. Each share of Class A common stock is convertible, at the option of the holder, into 1,500 shares of Class B common stock. Class B common stock is not convertible into Class A common stock. On an equivalent Class A common stock basis, there were 1,441,483 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and 1,459,733 shares outstanding as of December 31, 2022. Since we have two classes of common stock, we provide earnings per share data on the Consolidated Statements of Earnings for average equivalent Class A shares outstanding and average equivalent Class B shares outstanding. Class B shares are economically equivalent to one-fifteen-hundredth (1/1,500) of a Class A share. Average equivalent Class A shares outstanding represents average Class A shares outstanding plus one-fifteen-hundredth (1/1,500) of the average Class B shares outstanding. Average equivalent Class B shares outstanding represents average Class B shares outstanding plus 1,500 times average Class A shares outstanding. Berkshire’s common stock repurchase program, as amended, permits Berkshire to repurchase shares any time that Warren Buffett, Berkshire’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, believes that the repurchase price is below Berkshire’s intrinsic value, conservatively determined. The program continues to allow share repurchases in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions and does not specify a maximum number of shares to be repurchased. However, repurchases will not be made if they would reduce the total value of Berkshire’s consolidated cash, cash equivalents and U.S. Treasury Bill holdings below $30 billion. The repurchase program does not obligate Berkshire to repurchase any specific dollar amount or number of Class A or Class B shares and there is no expiration date to the program.

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