Because of his contributions to modern electronics, Bill Gates is now synonymous with personal computers. He was the world’s first centibillionaire when his net worth surpassed $100 billion in 1999. And by the time he stepped down as CEO of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) that same year, he had amassed a net worth estimated at $85 billion. Today, Gates’ net worth is approximately $107 billion.
While the tech legend and Seattle native still owns more than 1% of Microsoft’s stock, today his legacy has shifted towards philanthropy. Together with his ex-wife Melinda French Gates, the two have seen the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Trust is now worth an estimated $45 billion. Since the foundation was established in 2000, the two have given away over $77.6 billion through grants and to charitable causes.
Nonetheless, the BMGF remains the richest private foundation in the world, with an endowment of around $75.2 billion. So it isn’t surprising that retail and institutional investors alike keep an eye on the billionaire’s portfolio — including its holdings, turnover and total value — to attempt to glean information that helps them beat the market. And while shares of Microsoft currently account for more than 27% of the overall portfolio, the other 23 positions can provide insight into some of the better-performing publicly traded companies in the United States and abroad.
Holdings are as of September 30, 2024 as reported by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s 13F filing on November 14, 2024:
| Stock | Ticker | Shares Held | % of Portfolio | Change in Shares | % Change | % of Ownership | Position First Opened |
| Microsoft | MSFT | 28,957,247 | 27.64% | -5,932,350 | -17.00% | 0.39% | Q3 2021 |
| Berkshire Hathaway | BRK.B | 22,137,613 | 22.60% | -2,482,589 | -10.08% | 1.67% | Q3 2006 |
| Waste Management | WM | 32,234,344 | 14.84% | -3,000,000 | -8.51% | 8.03% | Q3 2002 |
| Canadian National Railway | CNI | 54,826,786 | 14.25% | No Change | 7.86% | Q3 2002 | |
| Caterpillar | CAT | 7,353,614 | 6.38% | No Change | 1.52% | Q4 2005 | |
| Deere & Co | DE | 3,557,378 | 3.29% | No Change | 1.31% | Q3 2021 | |
| Ecolab | ECL | 5,218,044 | 2.95% | No Change | 1.84% | Q2 2010 | |
| Walmart | WMT | 9,090,477 | 1.63% | No Change | 0.11% | Q2 2006 | |
| FedEx | FDX | 2,534,362 | 1.54% | 1,000,000 | 65.17% | 1.05% | Q2 2005 |
| Coca-Cola FEMSA de CV | KOF | 6,214,719 | 1.22% | No Change | 0.37% | Q2 2025 | |
| Waste Connections | WCN | 2,149,175 | 0.85% | No Change | 0.83% | Q3 2022 | |
| Coupang | CPNG | 9,248,045 | 0.50% | No Change | 0.53% | Q1 2021 | |
| Crown Castle | CCI | 1,420,072 | 0.37% | No Change | 0.33% | Q2 2007 | |
| Schrodinger | SDGR | 6,981,664 | 0.29% | No Change | 9.83% | Q1 2020 | |
| Madison Square Garden | MSGS | 592,406 | 0.27% | No Change | 3.04% | Q3 2021 | |
| Anheuser-Busch | BUD | 1,703,000 | 0.25% | No Change | 0.10% | Q2 2023 | |
| Danaher | DHR | 373,000 | 0.23% | No Change | 0.05% | Q4 2022 | |
| United Postal Service | UPS | 755,089 | 0.23% | No Change | 0.10% | Q4 2014 | |
| PACCAR | PCAR | 1,000,000 | 0.22% | 1,000,000 | New | 0.19% | Q3 2024 |
| Kraft Heinz | KHC | 2,622,600 | 0.20% | No Change | 0.22% | Q3 2022 | |
| Hormel Foods | HRL | 2,195,290 | 0.15% | No Change | 0.40% | Q4 2022 | |
| On Holdings | ONON | 500,000 | 0.06% | No Change | 0.18% | Q3 2021 | |
| Veralto | VLTO | 124,333 | 0.03% | No Change | 0.05% | Q4 2023 | |
| Vroom | VRM | 31,250 | 0.00% | No Change | 1.71% | Q2 2022 |
Q3 2024 Update:
In the third quarter, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation reported 4 significant changes to its portfolio:
- The Trust reduced its largest holding by 17% by selling 5.93 million shares, leaving 28.96 million shares in the portfolio (27.64% of total portfolio value).
- The Trust also reduced its second largest position, selling 2.48 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock.
- The third largest position also was trimmed by 3 million shares, leaving 32.23 million shares of Waste Management stock left in the portfolio.
Additions:
- The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation added 1 millions shares of FedEx, bringing its total to 2.53 million shares.
- The Trust initiated a position in PACCAR for the first time, adding 1 million shares to the portfolio.
More Bill Gates reading:
Bill Gates Bought Only 2 Stocks in Q3 and He’s Betting Big on Just One Sector
This Is Bill Gates Favorite Stock Right Now, Should You Buy or Sell?
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