Bill Gates’ Portfolio: 5 Dividend Stocks Held By The World’s Richest Man

5. Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Let’s start with Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM), which is the second-largest holding in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust’s equity portfolio as of the end of March. The fund disclosed holding 18.63 million shares of the company worth $1.36 billion. It should also be mentioned that Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) is one of the oldest investments held by the Trust, having been included in its equity portfolio since 2002. The stock has gained over 200% since then. The company pays a dividend of $0.43 per share, which gives its stock a yield of 2.30%.

Because Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) is the largest waste and recycling company in North America, it has been able to consistently generate cash flow, which in turn has allowed it to increase its dividends consistently for the last 14 years. Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) is also well positioned to be a cash flow-generating machine over the long-term, as it owns 240 landfills and a large network of recycling facilities. Even though its landfill business might decline as consumers become more aware of environmental issues and reduce their waste, its big recycling business helps offset some of the risks. Including Bill Gates’ Trust, there are 29 funds in our database holding shares of Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) as of the end of March, down by seven funds over the quarter.

Dmitry Kalinovsky/Shutterstock.com