 In recent years, Berkshire Hathaway NYSE: BRK.ANYSE: BRK.B CEO Warren Buffett has taken a lot of criticism for underperforming the benchmark SP; 500. According to Berkshire Hathaways 2019 shareholder letter, the broad-based SP; 500 has gained a cool 19,784, including dividends paid, over the past 55 years. Comparatively, Berkshire Hathaways per-share market gain has totaled drum roll 2,744,062 over the same period. 