It's been 59 years since Warren Buffett acquired Berkshire Hathaway for $14.86 per share. The holding company's A-class stock, which has never split, has been trading for more than $598,000 per share.

Warren Buffett is widely considered one of the greatest investors of all time because Berkshire's stock price has risen at an annual rate of 19.7% for nearly six decades. Applying the rule of 72, that is fast enough to more than double an initial investment every four years.

Buffett made Berkshire Hathaway one of America's largest conglomerates by acquiring and investing in profitable businesses likely to become increasingly profitable over time. These days, the second-largest holding in Berkshire's equity portfolio is Bank of America (NYSE: BAC).

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Source Fool.com