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A shares can be converted into B shares but the other way around is not possible at all. The question to be asked now is which to buy. It is known that Berkshire is shareholder friendly, but Buffett gives his own advice: “Buy the A shares, if you can afford them, unless the B shares are trading cheaply. In my opinion, most of the time the demand for B will be such that it will trade at about 1/30 of the price of the A. However, from time to time, a different supply–demand situation will prevail and the B will sell at some discount. When the B is at a discount of more than, say, 2 percent, it offers a better buy than A. When the two of them are at parity, however, anyone wishing to buy 30 or more B should consider buying A instead.”
Another important issue when buying stock is to analyze if the stock is closer to its yearly high or low. Those who are followers of Buffett's strategy may take the chance of buying Berkshire stock when it is in its lows. They can also buy the stocks Buffett has bought at publicly traded companies such as Coca-Cola, PG, General Dynamics, among others. It is believed that they are still worth buying.
Personally, I bought Berkshire last year at $70. I find that a strategy that works for me is to buy either BRK.A or BRK.B when the stock creates a solid price support. That support must be a level where the shares stabilize for a minimum of two months and the general market is in correction. I want to buy at a price in the middle range of that support and hold the stock for the long run. That way, I accumulate shares at low prices but stay away from the prior downtrend because support levels are created after downtrends or corrections. I am always looking at how Berkshire stock trades and find it attractive when the market corrects and the stock finds a "floor" at a certain price range.
Unfortunately, there are two risks to bear in mind if anyone decides to buy what Buffett has in his portfolio: Berkshire may start to unload its stocks when one starts buying them. This is what happened with Disney in the year 2000. Another risk is exposure of portfolio, that is to say, more exposure to the stocks and industries than Berkshire has.
There still is another chance: Balance out the portfolio similar to Buffett's with stocks from mutual funds such as Sequoia, Tweedy, Browne Global Value and American Value, Legg Mason Focus Trust, Third Avenue Value, Clipper, Longleaf Partners, Torray, and Vontobel U.S. Value.
Last but not least, the portfolio can be balanced by including stocks from industries outside the ones that have already been covered under the Buffett-like portfolio. This may include foreign stocks, which Buffett also tends to avoid.
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