Dairy Queen is one of the biggest food franchises in the United States, a brand that is known all over the world and loved in many parts. It’s no surprise therefore that so many are looking to buy DQ stock, investing in a chain that they enjoy and a chain that has a reputation like no other. But are Dairy Queen stocks even available on the market and if so, is this a company that you should invest in or not?
Dairy Queen Stock
Firstly, it is not possible to buy Dairy Queen stock directly. This is a small part of a big company, but the good news is that the “big company” in this sense is listed on the stock exchange. As a result, you can indirectly buy shares in Dairy Queen, but that raises a few questions and concerns that investors need to know about.
We have discussed such issues many times here on Buy Shares In. It’s similar to the Instagram and WhatsApp situation. Both of these technologies have attracted a lot of interest from hopeful investors and both of them are owned by Facebook, which is listed on the stock exchange. The problem is, if you were to buy Facebook shares because you were interested in Instagram and then Facebook sold Instagram immediately afterwards, you would still hold those FB shares but you wouldn’t have the reason you bought them in the first place.
It’s the same story with Dairy Queen stock, which is owned entirely by Berkshire Hathaway. The only difference is that Instagram will probably never be sold by Facebook, whereas there is a much bigger chance of DQ being sold by Berkshire Hathaway.
Dairy Queen Stock History
The soft-serve ice cream that would make Dairy Queen famous was invented in 1938, two years before the business was officially formed. More or less since its founding, Dairy Queen has operated on a franchise model, which allowed many franchisees to benefit from the popularity of the brand and to cash-in on the Dairy Queen name, while growing the brand at the same time.
In 1998, Dairy Queen became a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, one of the biggest investment companies in the world and one with a stock portfolio that would make any investor envious. Dairy Queen stock is one of the biggest on their list, but it’s far from the only well known brand. They also own GEICO and Fruit of the Loom, as well as significant portions of companies like Kraft Heinz and Coca-Cola.
This is a brand that has its fingers in many pies. It is run by Warren Buffet, who is considered to be one of the most influential businessmen in the world, as well as a very shrewd investor who has a knack for spotting brands with a lot of potential.
Will Berkshire Hathaway Sell Dairy Queen?
It is not a likely scenario, but it can happen and it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that a major parent company offloaded one of their biggest performing subsidiaries. It happens all of the time, especial in the last few years, which have seen some major sell-offs and mergers, with companies like Cadburys and Heinz changing hands.
If they do sell Dairy Queen then don’t expect it to have much of a positive impact on the price of the stock. It would be a huge cash injection and would go a long way to increasing the company’s coffers, but that’s not how share values work. What would likely happen, however, is that investors would panic. They would sense that something was amiss, that the company were scrambling for funds. On top of this they would also worry about how the shares would perform going forward without such a major chain on their books.
It’s a move that probably wouldn’t do them a lot of good, which is why they would think twice about selling it. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. In a world where the big industry leaders are looking to buy-out rather than compete, then maybe DQ will become a major target for the likes of Yum Brands! and maybe, if the offer is high enough, a sale with happen.
At this point, it’s just speculation, but it’s something to keep in mind if you are considering buying this stock purely to own a piece of Dairy Queen.
Dairy Queen Stock Price
If you do invest in Dairy Queen stock through Berkshire Hathaway, then you will be buying a very small part of a company that has been listed as the third largest public company in the world by Forbes. It generates a revenue of more than $220 billion a year, which is more than many developed countries, and it is responsible for over 360,000 employees around the world.
Dairy Queen revenue and employees are obviously included in this, but as big as the chain is, it is a drop in the ocean for Buffet and Co. They operate more than 6,400 chains and as well as the Dairy Queen name and products, they also own the Orange Julius and Karmelkorn brands and trademark products.
Dairy Queen revenue exceeds $2 billion a year, with a large chunk of this cash coming from franchise licenses.
How Much to Open a Dairy Queen Franchise?
There are a few fees associated with starting your own Dairy Queen franchise and these can differ depending on the chosen location, the size of the store and a number of other factors. The estimated franchise costs can range from $350,000 to $2 million, and if you don’t have anywhere near this sort of money in your bank then Dairy Queen won’t give you a second glance.
Dairy Queen Stock Symbol
If you’re ready to invest in Dairy Queen stock after all of that, then lookout for the Berkshire Hathaway symbol, which is BRK.A and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. At the time of writing the stock is trading for around $250,000 per stock. That’s not a typo—that’s how much you will need to buy a single Dairy Queen stock.
But as mentioned already, you won’t just be buying a small part of an ice cream chain. You will be buying a small part of an investment company that is headed by a true financial mogul, an investment company that owns some of the biggest brands in the United States. You can’t go much wrong with that.
Also, if you happen to have access to a time machine, you might want to take a trip back to the mid 1960s, because an investment of just $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway back then would now be worth more than $2 million.