Berkshire Hathaway Inc. vs United Parcel Service, Inc.: Strategic Comparison
Key Differences at a Glance
| Field | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | United Parcel Service, Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $371.4B | $88.7B |
| Founded | 1839 | 1907 |
| Employees | 387,800 | 460,000 |
| Market Cap | $1.05T | $98.9B |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
Quick Stats Comparison
| Metric | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | United Parcel Service, Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $371.4B | $88.7B |
| Founded | 1839 | 1907 |
| Headquarters | Omaha, Nebraska | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Market Cap | $1.05T | $98.9B |
| Employees | 387,800 | 460,000 |
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Revenue vs United Parcel Service, Inc. Revenue — Year by Year
| Year | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | United Parcel Service, Inc. | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $371.4B | $88.7B | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. |
| 2024 | $371.4B | $91.1B | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. |
| 2023 | $364.5B | $91.0B | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. |
Business Model Breakdown
Overview: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. vs United Parcel Service, Inc.
This in-depth comparison examines Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and United Parcel Service, Inc. across revenue, market value, business model, competitive positioning, and long-term growth strategy. Whether you are researching Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on its own, evaluating United Parcel Service, Inc., or weighing the two companies side by side, the breakdown below highlights where each company leads and where the gap between Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and United Parcel Service, Inc. is widest.
On the headline numbers, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. reports annual revenue of $371.4B against $88.7B for United Parcel Service, Inc., while their respective market capitalizations stand at $1.05T and $98.9B. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is headquartered in United States and United Parcel Service, Inc. operates from United States, and those different home markets shape how each company competes.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: Berkshire began as a textile company and became a holding company after Warren Buffett gained control in 1965. The modern company is a collection of operating businesses and investments bound by decentralized management, conservative financing, and a long-term shareholder culture.
United Parcel Service, Inc.: UPS is not simply a delivery company. It is a daily density network: the more packages moving through routes, hubs, aircraft, and delivery stops, the more efficiently each incremental package can be handled.
Business Models: How Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and United Parcel Service, Inc. Make Money
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and United Parcel Service, Inc. pursue distinct approaches to generating revenue, and understanding how each company operates is the foundation of any fair comparison between Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and United Parcel Service, Inc..
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. business model: Berkshire makes money through insurance underwriting and float investment, freight rail, regulated utilities and energy infrastructure, industrial manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail, services, and a large portfolio of equity and fixed-income investments.
United Parcel Service, Inc. business model: UPS makes money from U.S. domestic package delivery, international package delivery, air and ground shipping, brokerage, contract logistics, healthcare cold chain, freight forwarding, returns, insurance, UPS Store services, and digital logistics offerings.
Competitive Advantage: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. vs United Parcel Service, Inc.
The durability of a company's moat often decides long-term winners. Here is how the competitive advantages of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. stack up against those of United Parcel Service, Inc..
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. competitive advantage: Berkshire's advantage is permanent capital, insurance float, a conservative balance sheet, reputation with sellers, and a decentralized culture that attracts owner-minded managers.
United Parcel Service, Inc. competitive advantage: UPS's advantage is route density, integrated air-ground operations, trusted service quality, global customs and brokerage capability, package tracking data, enterprise customer relationships, and specialized healthcare logistics infrastructure.
Growth Strategy: Where Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and United Parcel Service, Inc. Are Headed
Future prospects matter as much as current results. The growth strategies below explain how Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and United Parcel Service, Inc. each plan to expand from here.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. growth strategy: Berkshire's growth strategy is not a top-down operating plan; it is disciplined capital allocation. The company reinvests in subsidiaries, buys public equities, acquires private businesses when prices fit, and keeps a fortress balance sheet for downturns.
United Parcel Service, Inc. growth strategy: UPS is emphasizing higher-yield parcels, SMB penetration, healthcare logistics, international package growth, automation, RFID-enabled package visibility, network reconfiguration, and disciplined capital spending.
Financial Picture: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. vs United Parcel Service, Inc.
A closer look at the financial trajectory of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and United Parcel Service, Inc. rounds out the comparison.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: For FY2025, Berkshire reported $371.444B in revenue and $66.968B in net income attributable to shareholders. Its filing reported about 387,800 employees worldwide at year-end. The updated net income replaces the prior-year comparison figure previously used in this profile.
United Parcel Service, Inc.: UPS reported USD 88.7 billion in 2025 revenue, USD 7.9 billion in operating profit, and 8.9% operating margin. The company delivered 5.2 billion packages and continued shifting toward higher-yielding volume, healthcare logistics, SMBs, B2B, and international opportunities.
Company-Specific SWOT Notes
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
Berkshire's advantage is permanent capital, insurance float, a conservative balance sheet, reputation with sellers, and a decentralized culture that attracts owner-minded managers.
Berkshire's size makes high-return capital deployment harder, and results can swing with insurance losses and investment-market changes.
Large cash and Treasury holdings give Berkshire optionality if markets dislocate or attractive private businesses become available.
Berkshire Hathaway's biggest risk is the challenge of deploying very large amounts of capital at attractive returns while managing insurance catastrophe exposure, equity-market volatility, and succession execution.
United Parcel Service, Inc.
UPS's advantage is route density, integrated air-ground operations, trusted service quality, global customs and brokerage capability, package tracking data, enterprise customer relationships, and specialized healthcare logistics infrastructure.
UPS wins when package density, reliable service, and integrated air-ground logistics make it cheaper and safer for customers to use UPS than to stitch together alternatives.
The biggest risk is that falling low-yield volume, labor inflation, or Amazon-related shifts reduce network density faster than UPS can reprice and reconfigure operations.
UPS is emphasizing higher-yield parcels, SMB penetration, healthcare logistics, international package growth, automation, RFID-enabled package visibility, network reconfiguration, and disciplined capital spending.
Head-to-Head Scorecard
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Scale | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. reports the larger revenue base ($371.4B), which serves as a core operational scale signal. |
| Profitability Potential | Comparable | Both organizations prioritize market penetration or are at equivalent reporting tiers. |
| Company Age | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Founded in 1839 vs 1907. The earlier pioneer typically commands longer historical institutional legacy. |
| Innovation Moat | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Higher aggregate count of major acquisitions and key R&D releases indicates a more active technology absorption velocity. |
| Scale (Employees) | United Parcel Service, Inc. | A significantly larger reported workforce supports enhanced global distribution capability. |
| Market Cap | Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | Higher public valuation denotes greater forward-looking investor conviction in earnings potential. |
| Future Outlook | Tied | Strategic auditing assesses that both maintain defensive leadership vectors within their core market clusters. |
Who Wins Each Category?
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. reports the larger revenue base ($371.4B), which serves as a core operational scale signal.
Both organizations prioritize market penetration or are at equivalent reporting tiers.
Founded in 1839 vs 1907. The earlier pioneer typically commands longer historical institutional legacy.
Higher aggregate count of major acquisitions and key R&D releases indicates a more active technology absorption velocity.
A significantly larger reported workforce supports enhanced global distribution capability.
Who Wins: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. or United Parcel Service, Inc.?
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya, May 2026 - Author Profile
Our analysts compile business strategy profiles from public financial filings, press releases, and analyst reports. Each profile is reviewed for accuracy before publication by our editorial desk and updated on a rolling basis.
Frequently Asked Questions: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. vs United Parcel Service, Inc.
Is Berkshire Hathaway Inc. better than United Parcel Service, Inc.?
Verdict: Between Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and United Parcel Service, Inc., Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is the stronger overall option based on higher annual revenue. The decision still depends on which factors matter most for your needs, but on the weight of the evidence above, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. comes out ahead in this Berkshire Hathaway Inc. vs United Parcel Service, Inc. comparison.
Who earns more — Berkshire Hathaway Inc. or United Parcel Service, Inc.?
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. earns more with $371.4B in annual revenue versus United Parcel Service, Inc.'s $88.7B. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. leads on total revenue based on latest verified figures.
Which company has higher revenue — Berkshire Hathaway Inc. or United Parcel Service, Inc.?
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. reported $371.4B, while United Parcel Service, Inc. reported $88.7B. The revenue leader is Berkshire Hathaway Inc. based on latest verified figures.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. revenue vs United Parcel Service, Inc. revenue — which is higher?
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. revenue: $371.4B. United Parcel Service, Inc. revenue: $88.7B. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has the larger revenue base of the two companies.
Sources & References
- SEC EDGAR: Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Annual Filings (10-K, 8-K)
- Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Corporate Website
- Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Annual Report 2025 - Revenue and Financial Data
- berkshirehathaway.com
- sec.gov
- data.sec.gov
- berkshirehathaway.com
- SEC EDGAR: United Parcel Service, Inc. Annual Filings (10-K, 8-K)
- United Parcel Service, Inc. Corporate Website
- United Parcel Service, Inc. Annual Report 2025 - Revenue and Financial Data
- sec.gov
- investors.ups.com
- about.ups.com