In this article we discuss Bill Gates’ 5 Most Recent Investments. If you want to take a look at our detailed discussion of the history and investments of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, go directly to Bill Gates’ Most Recent Investments.
At Insider Monkey we leave no stone unturned when looking for the next great investment idea. For example, lithium mining is one of the fastest growing industries right now, so we are checking out stock pitches like this emerging lithium stock. We go through lists like the 10 best hydrogen fuel cell stocks to pick the next Tesla that will deliver a 10x return. Even though we recommend positions in only a tiny fraction of the companies we analyze, we check out as many stocks as we can. We read hedge fund investor letters and listen to stock pitches at hedge fund conferences. You can subscribe to our free daily newsletter on our homepage. Keeping this in mind let’s take a look at Bill Gates’ top 5 stock holdings:
5. Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT)
Walmart ranks 5th in the list of Bill Gates’ most recent investments. One of the biggest hedge funds having stakes in the company is Martin Taylor’s Crake Asset Management which had $32 billion invested in the stock at the end of December. Shares in WMT are up 18% in the last twelve months. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rise in the company’s digital sales as enforced lockdown forced customers to stay home and online shopping was a convenience. WMT accounts for 7.48% of the overall portfolio of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust.
Pixabay/Public Domain
4. Canadian National Railway Co (NYSE:CNI)
CNI made connecting by rail and intermodal efficient with its connecting ports on three coasts. Shares of CNI are up 17% in the past twelve months. At the end of September, a total of 26 hedge funds were bullish for this stock. As of February 4, 2021, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust owns 13,661,683 shares or 2.08% of CNI.
3. Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT)
CAT ranks 3rd on the list of Bill Gates’ Most Recent Investments based on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust’s 13F portfolio. The stock accounts for 9.17% of the overall portfolio. The company’s shares trade at around $199. CAT offers a dividend yield of 2.04%.
2. Waste Management Inc (NYSE:WM)
The leading provider of complete waste management WM ranks 2nd on the list of Bill Gates’ most recent investments. It accounts for 9.83% of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust’s overall portfolio. The foundation had a total of $2 billion invested in the stock at the end of December. At the end of September, a total of 37 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were long this stock.
Pixabay/Public Domain
1. Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK.A)
The holding company that offers life, accident, property, and casualty risk insurance services started by Warren Buffett is the largest stock holding in Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust’s portfolio. It tops the list of Bill Gates’ most recent investments. The stock accounts for 43.7% of the overall portfolio with around $9 billion invested in the stock at the end of December. Nomadic Value Investment Partners mentioned the stock in its Q2 2020 investor letter:
“We added to Berkshire Hathaway. I won’t spend too much talking about this, but BRK is as attractively priced as it’s been in some time. The press’s and FinTwit’s fascination with “Warren’s lost it” is at a cyclical peak and is complete noise. However, the valid bear argument is that BRK is too big to compound at good rates going forward, and subsidiary company performance will be weak for the next couple of years with its high exposure to air traffic (Precision Cast Parts and previously held airline stocks) and holdings in “old economy” manufacturing and retail businesses. Also, short-term there’s an unknown consequence of insurance claim payouts and/or refunds13 . We wouldn’t completely disagree with these judgments, and the optics are certainly bad when BRK doesn’t buy back shares in a quarter with a substantial sell-down. However, with a long-term lens and given the management style of BRK (conservative talk and overperform), we will likely be quite satisfied in the future – whatever that looks like. Meanwhile, we’ve gotten into a range where 30%-50% of BRK is free. Are the actual growth prospects for Berkshire this dire? Berkshire is our largest position.”
Please also see Billionaire Ken Fisher’s Top 10 Stock Picks and 10 Best High Yield Stocks To Buy Now
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