Kesko Valuation Multiples

Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company with a wide array of subsidiaries engaged in diverse activities. The firm's core business segment is insurance, run primarily through Geico, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group, and Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group. Berkshire has used the excess cash thrown off from its operations to acquire Burlington Northern Santa Fe (railroad), Berkshire Hathaway Energy (utilities and energy distributors), and the companies that make up its manufacturing, service, and retailing operations (which include Precision Castparts, Lubrizol, Clayton Homes, Marmon, and IMC/ISCAR). The conglomerate is unique in that it is run on a completely decentralized basis. Berkshire is expected to generate close to $375 billion in revenue in 2025.

Since its founding in 1962, Walmart has become the world’s largest retailer, operating over 10,700 stores globally (including 4,600 namesake locations on its home turf and another 600 Sam’s Club outlets) and growing its e-commerce presence, attracting 270 million customers weekly. In aggregate, the firm posted more than $680 billion in fiscal 2025 sales. Its core operations span three reporting segments: Walmart US (68% of fiscal 2025 sales), Walmart International (18%), and Sam’s Club (14%). Within the US, nearly 60% of its $465 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue came from its grocery offerings, with another quarter from general merchandise. Internationally, Walmart’s operations are concentrated in Mexico, though it also has budding exposure to India.

Founded in 1983, Costco Wholesale now operates a global chain of membership-based warehouse clubs, delivering high-quality goods and services at consistently low prices. As of its most recent fiscal year, Costco operated approximately 910 warehouses, serving more than 80 million members across its three geographic segments: Costco US (approximately 73% of total revenue), Costco Canada (13%), and Costco International (14%).Costco’s core value proposition—quality products at unbeatable prices—has yielded consistently strong member renewal rates (93% in the US and Canada and nearly 90% internationally). About 55% of Costco’s fiscal 2025 revenue came from its grocery offerings, and another 25% from general merchandise.

Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, operating 2,359 warehouse-format stores offering more than 30,000 products in store and 1 million products online in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Its stores offer building materials, home improvement products, lawn and garden products, and decor products and provide various services, including home improvement installation services and tool and equipment rentals. The acquisition of Interline Brands in 2015 allowed Home Depot to enter the MRO business, which has been expanded through the tie-up with HD Supply (2020). The 2024 tie-up with SRS will help grow professional demand in roofing, pool, and landscaping projects, while the 2025 purchase of GMS will lift building product sales through 1,250 distribution locations.

Siemens is a multi-industry company focused on the areas of automation, electrification, mobility, and healthcare. Its top three geographic regions—the United States, Germany, and China—contribute over half of group revenue. Siemens has a 71% investment in separately listed Siemens Healthineers. Recent portfolio activity included the listing of Siemens Energy, spinning out its power and gas and Siemens Gamesa business divisions in 2020.

International Holdings Co PJSC is a United Arab Emirates-based public joint stock company. The group, along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in management services and investing in diversified projects; trading and importing of food items; sale of poultry products, and others. The company is organized into business segments as follows: Real estate and construction, Food, Technology, Financial services, Marine and dredging, Hospitality and leisure, Energy, and Services and other segments. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Real estate and construction segment.

ABB supplies electrical equipment and automation products. Founded in the late 19th century, the company was created out of the merger of two old industrial companies: ASEA and BBC. Its products include electrical equipment, industrial robots, and equipment used for industrial automation, sold via approximately 19 business divisions. ABB is the number-one or -two supplier in two-thirds of its product segments.

Founded in 1987, TJX Companies is the world’s largest off-price apparel and home fashions retailer, operating more than 5,000 stores across nine countries. In fiscal 2025, the company generated roughly $56 billion in sales. TJX operates through four segments: Marmaxx (61% of sales), HomeGoods (17%), TJX Canada (9%), and TJX international (13%). Its off-price model emphasizes branded merchandise at meaningful discounts, driving high traffic and rapid inventory turnover.

Schneider Electric is a global leader in energy management and industrial automation. It holds leading positions in electrical distribution. Its four end-markets include: Buildings, Data Center & Networks, Infrastructure, and Industry. Its largest countries include the United States, China and India.

Founded in 1911 by Joseph Eaton, the eponymous company began by selling truck axles in New Jersey. Eaton has since become an industrial powerhouse largely through acquisitions in various end markets. Eaton's portfolio can broadly be divided into two parts: its electrical and industrial businesses. Its electrical portfolio (representing around 70% of company revenue) sells components within data centers, utilities, and commercial and residential buildings, while its industrial business (30% of revenue) sells components within commercial and passenger vehicles and aircraft. Eaton receives favorable tax treatment as a domiciliary of Ireland, but it generates over half of its revenue within the US.

Fast Retailing is Japan's largest apparel company. It operates casualwear retail chain Uniqlo, known for its high-quality functional apparel at reasonable prices. Fast Retailing is in charge of product design and sales and outsources almost all of its production to factories in places including China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and India. It is ranked the second-largest apparel company by sales globally in 2024 per Euromonitor, thanks to the expansion of Uniqlo International. As of February 2025, it ran 3,616 stores globally. Other brands in its portfolio include GU and acquired brands like Theory, Comptoir des Cotonniers, and Princesse tam.tam. The Yanai family owned a 40.86% stake in the firm as of July 2025.

Honeywell traces its roots to 1885 with Albert Butz’s firm, Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator, which produced a predecessor to the modern thermostat. Other inventions by Honeywell include biodegradable detergent and autopilot. Today, Honeywell is a global multi-industry behemoth with one of the largest installed bases of equipment. It operates through four business segments: aerospace technologies, industrial automation, energy and sustainability solutions, and building automation. Recently, Honeywell has made several portfolio changes to focus on fewer end markets and align with a set of secular growth trends. The firm is working diligently to expand its installed base, deriving around one third of its revenue from recurring aftermarket services.

Hitachi Ltd is engaged in diverse businesses spanning industries, energy, IT, and real estate. The company operates through four business segments. The Connective Industries segment covers elevators, escalators, home appliances, air conditioning, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, medical analyzers, industrial and distribution solutions, water and environmental solutions, and industrial equipment. The Digital Systems & Services segment offers system integration, consulting, cloud services, IT products, software, and ATMs. The Green Energy & Mobility segment focuses on power grids, renewable energy, nuclear power, and railway systems. The Others include real estate management, sales, and leasing. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Green Energy & Mobility segment.

Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer globally, with more than 1,750 stores in the US, after the 2023 divestiture of its Canadian locations (RONA, Lowe's Canada, Réno-Dépôt, and Dick's Lumber). The firm's stores offer products and services for home decorating, maintenance, repair, and remodeling, with maintenance and repair accounting for two-thirds of products sold. Lowe's primarily targets retail do-it-yourself (around 70% of sales) and do-it-for-me customers, but has expanded its professional business clients to 30% from less than 20% in the past six years (set ot expand further with the acquisition of FBM). We estimate Lowe's captures a high-single-digit share of the domestic home improvement market, based on US Census data and management's market size estimates.

Parker Hannifin started out in 1917 as Parker Appliance, selling pneumatic brakes. Through the acquisition of branded components, the firm has expanded into aerospace engines, agricultural and construction machinery, freight and passenger vehicles, and industrial automation equipment. Within these larger systems, Parker sells a wide array of small, critical pieces such as hydraulic, electromechanical, climate control, and filtration components. Many of its products are designed to work together, resulting in a high rate of cross-selling.

Mitsubishi Corp. is Japan’s largest general trading house, or sogo shosha, a type of conglomerate unique to Japan. Its core role is that of a trading intermediary in a variety of industrial sectors, including resources businesses like energy and metals as well as non-resources businesses, both industrial ones like automotive and non-industrial ones like food, healthcare, and retail. In addition to acting as a trading intermediary (including midstream processing functions to convert inputs into final products), Mitsubishi also participates in upstream production businesses and downstream distribution businesses.

Atlas Copco is a 140-year-old Swedish company that pioneered air compression technology and remains a leading air compressor manufacturer. Atlas Copco is also a leading manufacturer of vacuum pump equipment, industrial power tools, and portable power and air compression equipment. The company's operations match the geographic breadth of its customers, with a presence in 180 countries. Atlas Copco's revenue is derived from three sources: initial equipment sales, spare parts, and maintenance.

3M, a multinational conglomerate founded in 1902, sells tens of thousands of products ranging from sponges to respirators. The firm is well known for its extensive research and development capabilities, and it is a pioneer in inventing new use cases for its proprietary technologies. 3M is organized across three business segments: safety and industrial (representing around 44% of revenue), transportation and electronics (36%), and consumer (20%). The firm recently spun off its healthcare business, now known as Solventum. Nearly half of 3M’s revenue comes from outside the Americas.

Founded in 1890 as the first manufacturer of electric fans in North America, Emerson Electric has become a leading industrial automation player through the acquisition of established brands. Emerson organizes its business into seven segments that sell a wide range of automation software, power tools, and automation hardware such as valves, gauges, and switches. In recent years, Emerson divested its climate technology and consumer businesses to become more of a pure-play industrial automation company. The automation of a factory is an enticing long-term proposition for manufacturers, helping reduce accident rates and raise uptime and productivity.

Mitsui is a general trading house, or sogo shosha, a type of conglomerate unique to Japan. Its core role is that of a trading intermediary in a variety of industrial sectors, including resources businesses like energy and metals as well as nonresources businesses, both industrial ones like machinery and nonindustrial ones like food, healthcare, and retail. In addition to acting as a trading intermediary (including midstream processing functions to convert inputs into final products), Mitsui participates in upstream production businesses and downstream distribution businesses. Among Japan’s large trading houses, Mitsui has the highest exposure to resources businesses.

Itochu is a general trading house, or sogo shosha, a type of conglomerate unique to Japan. Its core role is that of a trading intermediary in a variety of industrial sectors, including resources businesses such as energy and metals as well as nonresources businesses, both industrial ones like machinery and nonindustrial ones like food, IT consulting, and retail. In addition to acting as a trading intermediary (including midstream processing functions to convert inputs into final products), Itochu also participates in upstream production businesses and downstream distribution businesses. Among Japan’s large trading houses, Itochu has the highest exposure to nonresources businesses and more downstream exposure, such as its ownership of convenience-store chain FamilyMart.

Ross Stores, founded in 1982, is a US-focused off-price apparel and home fashion retailer operating more than 2,100 stores across 43 states, primarily under the Ross Dress for Less banner, with a smaller footprint through DD’s Discounts. In fiscal 2024, the company generated over $21 billion in sales. Ross offers branded apparel, footwear, accessories, and home goods at a 20%-60% discount to department and specialty store prices, sourcing closeouts and excess inventory from vendors worldwide.

O’Reilly is an aftermarket automotive parts retailer in the United States and Mexico with more than $16 billion in annual sales. The company operates over 6,000 domestic stores and serves both the do-it-yourself (about 50% of sales) and professional (47% of sales) end markets. O’Reilly differentiates itself by providing quality service to its customers throughout the entirety of the vehicle diagnosis and purchasing process. Furthermore, the firm boasts an impressive hub-and-spoke distribution network designed to provide its localized store base with ample aftermarket part availability across a variety of vehicle makes and models.

Wesfarmers is Australia's largest conglomerate. Its retail operations include the Bunnings hardware chain (number one in market share), discount department stores Kmart and Target (number one and three), and Officeworks in office supplies (number one). These activities account for the vast majority of group earnings before taxes. Other operations include chemicals and fertilizers, lithium mining, industrial and safety supplies, and health. Management is focused on generating cash and creating shareholder wealth in the long term.

Target’s start dates back to 1962, but now it is one of the largest discount retailers in the United States (where it derives all of its sales), operating just under 2,000 stores and generating over $106 billion in fiscal 2024 sales. The company offers a broad assortment of merchandise across categories including apparel and accessories (16% of fiscal 2024 revenue), beauty and household essentials (30%), food and beverage (23%), hardlines (15%), as well as home furnishings (16%). Target’s model is anchored in its physical store base, which fulfills more than 97% of sales. Around 30% of sales are derived from its own private-label brands.

Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd manufactures and sells electric wires and cables, and other products. The company operates through five segments. The Automotive related business covers wire harnesses, anti-vibration rubber, hoses, electrical parts, and traffic control systems. The Electronics related business provides electronic wires, flexible printed circuits, fluoropolymer products, and metal components. The Environment and Energy related business handles power transmission equipment, substation systems, vacuum and beam equipment, and conductive products. The Industrial Materials business includes steel wire, tools, optical components, and sintered parts. The Information and Communication business offers fiber optic cables, communication equipment, and optical devices.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc operates a network of convenience stores across North America, Europe, and Asia. The company generates income through the sale of tobacco products, groceries, beverages, fresh food, quick service restaurants, car wash services, other retail products and services, road transportation fuel, stationary energy, marine fuel, and chemicals. In addition, the company operates stores under the Circle K banner in other countries such as Indonesia, Egypt, Macau, and others. Its operation is geographically divided into the U.S., Europe and other regions, and Canada. Revenue from external customers falls mainly into three categories: merchandise and services, road transportation fuel, and others. The company generates the majority of its revenue from the United States.

Loblaw is Canada's largest retailer, operating approximately 2,500 food retail and pharmacy stores across the country. Its main grocery banners include Loblaw, No Frills, and Maxi, and its pharmacy stores are mostly under the Shoppers Drug Mart banner, which it acquired in 2014. In addition to brand-name offerings, Loblaw offers private-label products under the President's Choice and No Name brands. Beyond retail, Loblaw runs the PC Optimum loyalty program and also offers credit cards and insurance brokerage, which are collectively referred to as financial services. George Weston is Loblaw's controlling shareholder with a 53% stake.

Wal - Mart de Mexico SAB de CV is the owner and operator of Wal-Mart branded self-service stores in Mexico and Central America. Wal-Mart de Mexico is a subsidiary of Wal-Mart Stores Incorporated, based in the United States. The company generates the majority of revenue in Mexico and a small proportion of revenue from the rest of Central America. The company operates discount stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets, wholesale stores, and pharmacies. The company also engages in the import and sale of goods, property development, and real estate management activities.

Sandvik is a manufacturer of specialized tools and mining equipment used predominantly by global mining, engineering, and automotive customers. The group is composed of three segments: mining and rock solutions, rock processing, and machining. Sandvik was founded in 1862 and listed on the Nordic Exchange in Stockholm in 1901.

With roots tracing back to the early 1900s, Rockwell Automation is the successor to Rockwell International, which spun off its avionics segment in 2001. It is a pure-play industrial automation company that operates through three segments. Its largest segment by revenue, intelligent devices, sells factory floor-level devices such as motors, drives, sensors, relays, and actuators. Its software and control segment sells visualization, simulation, and human-machine interface software and control products such as programmable controllers, computers, and operator terminals. Its smallest segment, lifecycle services, offers digital consulting, engineered-to-order services, and other outsourced services such as remote monitoring, cybersecurity, and asset and plant maintenance and optimization.

AutoZone operates as a leading retailer of aftermarket automotive parts in the United States. The firm operates 6,666 stores domestically, serving the do-it-yourself and commercial (do-it-for-me) end markets. Through its vast store footprint and distribution network, AutoZone manages a wide array of stock-keeping units applicable to numerous vehicle makes and models, providing its consumers with ample product availability. The firm drives traffic by providing superior and convenient customer service as AutoZone's team of knowledgeable staff assists consumers with diagnosing a vehicle's problem, selecting the necessary part for replacement, and occasionally, installation. The company also operates internationally, with 895 stores in Mexico and 149 in Brazil.

Marubeni is a general trading house, or sogo shosha, a type of conglomerate unique to Japan. Its core role is that of a trading intermediary in a variety of industrial sectors, including resources businesses such as energy and metals as well as nonresources businesses, both industrial ones like machinery and nonindustrial ones like food, real estate, and retail. In addition to acting as a trading intermediary (including midstream processing functions to convert inputs into final products), Marubeni also participates in upstream production businesses and downstream distribution businesses.

CITIC Ltd is a Hong Kong-based conglomerate. Along with its subsidiaries, it operates in the following reportable segments: Comprehensive Financial Services, Advanced Intelligent Manufacturing, Advanced Materials, New Consumption, and New-type urbanisation. Maximum revenue is generated from the Advanced Materials segment, which includes exploration, processing, and trading of resources and energy products, including iron ore, copper, and crude oil, as well as the manufacturing of special steels. The Comprehensive financial services segment provides banking, securities, trust, insurance, and asset management services. Geographically, the group generates maximum revenue from the Chinese mainland, followed by Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and Overseas markets.

Sumitomo Corp. is a general trading house, or sogo shosha, a type of conglomerate unique to Japan. Its core role is that of a trading intermediary in a variety of industrial sectors, including resources businesses such as energy and metals as well as nonresources businesses, both industrial ones like machinery and non-industrial ones like food, media, and retail. In addition to acting as a trading intermediary (including midstream processing functions to convert inputs into final products), Sumitomo also participates in upstream production businesses and downstream distribution businesses.

Toyota Tsusho Corp is a Japan-based company involved in trading diverse products, along with the manufacturing, processing, sales, investment, and related service activities. The company operates through segments including Africa, Circular Economy, Digital Solutions, Green Infrastructure, Lifestyle, Metal Plus, Mobility, Supply Chain, and Others. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Metal Plus segment, which processes, manufactures, treats, and sells steel products and nonferrous metal ingots, among others.

Adani Enterprises Ltd is a holding company. The company's segment includes Integrated Resources Management, Mining, Commercial Mining, New Energy Ecosystem, Road, Airport, and others. The company generates maximum revenue from the Integrated Resources Management segment.

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd is a holding company. The company's segment includes Automotive; Farm Equipment and Services. It generates maximum revenue from the Automotive segment. The Automotive segment comprises the sale of automobiles, spares, mobility solutions, construction equipment, and related services. Geographically, it derives a majority of its revenue from India.

Founded in 1883, Kroger is the largest pure-play supermarket operator in the United States, operating roughly 2,700 stores across more than 30 banners. Kroger’s business is primarily grocery-led (roughly 77% of sales), spanning fresh-food and private-label offerings, complemented by fuel centers (10%) and pharmacies (11%). The firm also generates income from advertising, data analytics, and manufacturing.

Tesco is a large food retailer, operating thousands of stores in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Central Europe. The majority of Tesco’s sales are from the UK, where the firm has over 24% market share, more than double the second-largest peer, Sainsbury’s, according to Euromonitor. Tesco also holds 30% e-grocery market share in the UK, holding a dominant position online. Tesco gained exposure to the cash-and-carry and out-of-home delivery industries with the GBP 4 billion acquisition of Booker in 2018.

Ahold Delhaize is the product of the July 2016 merger between Netherlands-based Ahold and Belgium's Delhaize, forming the seventh-largest grocer in the US and a top player in several parts of Europe. The US is its largest market, accounting for over 60% of group sales, and the network stretches from Maine to Georgia, including banners Stop & Shop, The Giant Company, Giant Food, Food Lion, and Hannaford. The Europe segment accounts for the rest of the revenue, with the firm operating in the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Romania, Serbia, and Luxembourg.

Weg SA produces and sells electric motors, generators, control systems, and other industrial devices world-wide. The company has three reportable segments: industry, energy, and foreign (outside of Brazil). The industry segment manufactures various motors, drives, controls, and equipment for industrial automation. Energy segment products consist of electricity generators, alternators, wind turbines, hydraulic and thermal steam turbines (biomass), substations, transformers, measuring instruments, control panels, and systems integration services. The foreign segment consists of operations carried out through subsidiaries located in different countries.

CK Hutchison Holdings, or CKH, is a Hong Kong headquartered conglomerate with key businesses in ports, retail, infrastructure, and telecommunications. The company was created in 2015 to house the merged assets of Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa as the group sought to flatten out and simplify its original holding structure. CKH contains most of the businesses previously housed in Hutchison Whampoa, minus the property assets, which were spun off into their own listing, CK Asset Holdings. Telecommunications and infrastructure activities now make up the largest share of EBITDA, at around 53%. The planned sale of most of the ports business is currently being scrutinized by the government.

Roper Technologies is a holding company focused on acquiring, managing, and developing niche market-leading technology businesses. The company operates a decentralized business model whereby each portfolio company operates independently from the others. Roper positions itself as a free cash flow compounder, whereby excess free cash flow generated by its portfolio businesses is repatriated to the parent company, which is then utilized to acquire additional businesses. Presently, the company operates 30 distinct businesses with over three-fourths of the revenue coming from software products and over two-thirds of the revenue coming from recurring and recurring sources.

Woolworths is Australia's largest retailer. Operations include supermarkets in Australia and New Zealand, and discount department and pet stores. Woolworths also supplies businesses, like restaurants and cafes, following the acquisition of PFD Food Services. The Australian food division with its supermarkets constitutes the majority of group EBIT, followed by New Zealand supermarkets and PFD, while Big W is a minor contributor.

Casey's General Stores Inc serves as convenience store chain with its 2,900 locations, positioned in the Midwest United States. About half of Casey’s stores are located in rural towns with populations under 5,000. While fueling stations serve as a key traffic driver, about two-thirds of the company’s gross profit stems from in-store sales of grocery items, prepared meals, and general merchandise. Casey’s owns more than 90% of its stores and operates the majority of its warehousing and distribution processes internally.

Kyocera is a Japanese conglomerate whose original business consisted of manufacturing fine ceramic components; the firm has since expanded into manufacturing handsets, printers, solar cells, and industrial tools. As a result of reorganization, the firm now consists of three major business segments, which are the core components business (28% of 2024 revenue), electronic components business (18% of revenue), and solutions business (54% of revenue).

Avenue Supermarts Ltd is an India-based company engaged in the business of organized retail and operates supermarkets under the brand name of D-Mart. It provides products under the categories of Foods, Non-Foods (FMCG) and General Merchandise and Apparel. Foods category includes products such as dairy, staples, groceries, snacks, frozen products, processed foods, beverages and confectionary and fruits and vegetables. Non-Foods (FMCG) comprises home care products, personal care products, toiletries and other over-the-counter products. General Merchandise and Apparel include bed and bath, toys and games, crockery, plastic goods, garments, footwear, utensils and home appliances. The business operations of the company are principally carried out in India.