Berkshire Hathaway vs HDFC Bank: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Berkshire Hathaway reported $371.4B of revenue in FY2025 and $67B of net income. HDFC Bank reported ~$32.9B of revenue in FY2026 and ~$8.8B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Berkshire Hathaway
- Latest revenue
- $371.4B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $67B
- Net margin
- 18.0%
- Revenue growth
- +6.3% a year, FY2016–FY2025
HDFC Bank
- Latest revenue
- ~$32.9B (FY2026)
- Net income
- ~$8.8B
- Net margin
- 26.8%
- Revenue growth
- +23.5% a year, FY2017–FY2026
Financial summary
Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire reported 2025 revenue of $371.444 billion, operating earnings of $44.486 billion (down from $47.437 billion in 2024 and above the five-year average of about $37.5 billion), and net earnings attributable to shareholders of $66.968 billion. GAAP net earnings swing with the equity portfolio: 2025 included $30.737 billion of after-tax investment gains and $8.255 billion of after-tax impairments on Kraft Heinz and Occidental. The businesses produced $46 billion of net cash from operating activities. Insurance earned $9.460 billion of pre-tax underwriting profit, with GEICO contributing $6.824 billion, and insurance float grew to $176 billion from $171 billion a year earlier. Shareholders' equity ended 2025 at $717.4 billion, up $68.1 billion, and the insurance and other businesses held $369.0 billion of cash, cash equivalents and US Treasury Bills. Berkshire repurchased no stock in 2025 and has paid no dividend since 1967.
HDFC Bank
For FY2025-26 HDFC Bank reported net revenues of ~$22.2 billion (INR 1,91,218.60 crore) (+13.6%) and standalone profit after tax of ~$8.66 billion (INR 74,671.30 crore) (+10.9%), with net interest margin of 3.34% and gross NPAs of 1.15%. The board recommended a final dividend of INR 13 per share. Q1 FY2026-27 standalone profit was ~$2.21 billion (INR 19,060 crore), up about 5% (around 9.8% excluding one-off items in the prior-year quarter), with net interest income up 7%, deposits of ~$368 billion (INR 31.71 lakh crore) (+14.7%), gross advances of ~$355 billion (INR 30.61 lakh crore) (+15.4%) and a capital adequacy ratio of 19.6%. Margin pressure was the main reason the shares fell after the results.
Revenue and profit by year
Berkshire Hathaway
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $371.4B | $67B | 18.0% | +0.0% | Source |
| FY2024 | $371.4B | $89B | 24.0% | +1.9% | Source |
| FY2023 | $364.5B | $96.2B | 26.4% | +20.7% | Source |
| FY2022 | $302B | -$22.8B | -7.5% | +9.4% | Source |
| FY2021 | $276.2B | $89.9B | 32.6% | +12.5% | Source |
| FY2020 | $245.6B | $42.5B | 17.3% | -3.5% | Source |
| FY2019 | $254.6B | $81.4B | 32.0% | +2.7% | Source |
| FY2018 | $247.8B | $4B | 1.6% | +3.3% | Source |
| FY2017 | $239.9B | $44.9B | 18.7% | +11.5% | Source |
| FY2016 | $215.1B | $24.1B | 11.2% | — | Source |
HDFC Bank
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | ~$32.9B | ~$8.8B | 26.8% | +3.8% | Source |
| FY2025 | ~$31.7B | ~$8.2B | 25.9% | +19.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$26.5B | ~$7.4B | 28.0% | +102.5% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$13.1B | ~$5.3B | 40.7% | +24.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$10.6B | ~$4.4B | 41.7% | +16.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$9.1B | — | 0.0% | +16.1% | Source |
| FY2020 | ~$7.8B | — | 0.0% | +13.2% | Source |
| FY2019 | ~$6.9B | — | 0.0% | +17.1% | Source |
| FY2018 | ~$5.9B | — | 0.0% | +19.8% | Source |
| FY2017 | ~$4.9B | — | 0.0% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Berkshire Hathaway
- Insurance premiums earned23.9%
GEICO, Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group and Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group earned $88.902B of premiums in 2025 and produced $9.460B of pre-tax underwriting earnings.
- Sales and service revenues53.7%
Manufacturing, service and retailing businesses, plus McLane and Pilot distribution, generated $199.524B of sales and service revenue in 2025, the largest revenue line and a thin-margin one.
- Interest, dividend and other investment income6.3%
Investment income of $23.261B in 2025 came mostly from US Treasury Bills and dividends on the equity portfolio.
- Freight rail transportation6.3%
BNSF produced $23.330B of freight revenue in 2025 hauling consumer products, industrial products, agricultural and energy products and coal.
- Utility and energy operating revenues5.9%
Berkshire Hathaway Energy's regulated utilities and pipelines produced $21.856B in 2025, serving about 5.4 million retail customers.
- Leasing revenues2.7%
Leasing businesses including XTRA trailer leasing and other equipment lessors produced $10.034B in 2025.
- Railroad, utilities and energy service revenues and other income1.2%
Service revenues and other income inside the railroad, utilities and energy group added $4.537B in 2025.
HDFC Bank
- Net Interest Income
67.3% of net revenues
Spread income from loans, investments, and funding after interest expense.
- Other Income
32.7% of net revenues
Fees, commissions, foreign exchange, derivatives, investment income, and other banking income.
- Digital, Cards, Payments, and Distribution
Embedded in fee income
Transaction, card, payment, wealth, and distribution income tied to customer relationships.
Business model and strategy
Berkshire Hathaway
How it makes money
Berkshire's business model is capital allocation on top of a decentralized group of operating companies. Subsidiary managers run their own businesses, with no corporate budget submissions and no committee structure at headquarters, and send surplus cash to Omaha.
Growth strategy
Berkshire's size limits what can move its results, so growth comes from large purchases, reinvestment inside existing businesses and buying back its own stock. Buffett described the 2009 BNSF agreement, a $34 billion investment in the railroad, as an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.
Competitive advantage
Berkshire's advantages are permanent capital, a balance sheet that stays liquid by design, and a reputation that brings sellers to it.
HDFC Bank
How it makes money
HDFC Bank makes money mainly from the spread between what it earns on loans and investments and what it pays depositors. Net interest income was roughly two-thirds of FY2025-26 net revenues; the rest came from fees and commissions on cards, payments, third-party distribution and transaction banking, plus treasury and foreign-exchange income.
Growth strategy
Since the July 2023 merger with HDFC Ltd, the strategy has shifted from maximising loan growth to rebuilding the funding mix. Management deliberately let advances grow more slowly than deposits in FY2025 and FY2026 to bring the credit-to-deposit ratio down, then resumed faster lending: gross advances grew 15.4% and deposits 14.7% year on year in Q1 FY2026-27.
Competitive advantage
HDFC Bank's edge is a low-cost retail deposit base gathered through nearly 9,700 branches and DBUs, a long record of tight underwriting (gross NPA ratio of 1.15% at March 2026), and enough digital scale that 98% of financial transactions run online. Salary accounts, credit cards and home loans tie customers into multiple products, which lowers acquisition cost and raises switching friction.
Questions about Berkshire Hathaway vs HDFC Bank
Which company has higher revenue — Berkshire Hathaway Inc. or HDFC Bank Limited?
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. reported $371.4B (FY2025), while HDFC Bank Limited reported ~$32.9B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is the larger business, with HDFC Bank Limited reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. vs HDFC Bank Limited?
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $1.07T, while HDFC Bank Limited's is $118.8B. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to HDFC Bank Limited.
Which is more financially efficient — Berkshire Hathaway Inc. or HDFC Bank Limited?
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. generates $958k / employee in revenue per employee, while HDFC Bank Limited generates $156k / employee. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and HDFC Bank Limited make money?
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and HDFC Bank Limited generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: Berkshire's business model is capital allocation on top of a decentralized group of operating companies. HDFC Bank Limited: HDFC Bank makes money mainly from the spread between what it earns on loans and investments and what it pays depositors.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Berkshire Hathaway Inc. or HDFC Bank Limited?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. trades at 2.9x P/S and HDFC Bank Limited at 3.6x P/S. HDFC Bank Limited commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Berkshire Hathaway Inc.. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Berkshire Hathaway Inc. bigger than HDFC Bank Limited?
By last reported revenue, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. ($371.4B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to HDFC Bank Limited (~$32.9B (FY2026)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Berkshire Hathaway vs HDFC Bank overview