In this article, we discuss the most recent investments of Bill Gates. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of these stocks, go directly to Bill Gates Portfolio: 4 Most Recent Investments.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust manages the endowment assets of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a private foundation founded by billionaire Bill Gates and his former partner Melinda French. The trust is overseen by Michael Larson, a money manager who is the chief investment officer at the trust since 1994 and also manages the private fortune of the Gates family. According to the latest 13F filings, the trust had a portfolio value of $23 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2021.
Almost half of the portfolio of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust comprises just Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-A), the conglomerate led by legendary investor Warren Buffett. It is estimated that the trust has donated over $11 billion worth of Berkshire stock to the works of the foundation since inception. Securities filings show that the trust made new purchases in seven stocks and reduced holdings in seven as well during the third quarter. Presently, the portfolio comprises just 22 equities.
Michael Larson, who manages the trust, is not a very well-known name in the finance world despite the fact that he has managed to grow the personal fortune of Gates from around $10 billion almost three decades ago to more than $139 billion now. Larson also oversees Cascade Investment, a family office for the Gates that holds a majority of their assets. Investors who want to follow in the footsteps of Gates and Larson to grow their wealth should check out the latest portfolio of the trust.
Some of the top stocks in the portfolio of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust at the end of September included Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT), among others discussed in detail below. The divorce of Bill Gates and Melinda French threw the future of the trust into doubt earlier this year but the duo have since have publicly vowed to work together on the foundation.
Our Methodology
The stocks were picked from the third quarter regulatory filings of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. All the stocks listed below were added to the portfolio of the trust between June and September this year.
The hedge fund sentiment around each stock was calculated using the data of 867 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey.
Bill Gates Portfolio: Most Recent Investments
7. Deere & Company (NYSE:DE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 54
Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) markets agricultural and farm machinery. According to regulatory filings, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust owned 1 million shares in the company at the end of September 2021 worth $346 million, representing 1.49% of the portfolio.
On October 14, investment advisory Bank of America maintained a Buy rating on Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) stock with a price target of $425. Ross Gilardi, an analyst at the firm, issued the ratings update.
At the end of the third quarter of 2021, 54 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $2.5 billion in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE), up from 52 in the previous quarter worth $2.1 billion.
Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, New York-based investment firm First Eagle Investment Management is a leading shareholder in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) with 1.4 million shares worth more than $469 million.
Just like Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT), and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-A), Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) is one of the stocks on the radar of elite investors.
In its Q1 2021 investor letter, Harding Loevner, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Deere & Company (NYSE:DE) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:
“John Deere delivered stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings and raised its guidance for the full-year. Sales of Deere’s tractors and combine harvesters are underpinned by Chinese demand for agriculture products and the bioethanol market rebounding with oil prices.”
6. Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 59
Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU) is a transportation holding firm based in Missouri. A regulatory body in the United States recently announced that it had accepted for consideration a request by Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific for their proposed combination.
The investment firm of Bill Gates owned 2.1 million shares of Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU) at the end of the third quarter of 2021 worth more than $592 million, representing 2.55% of the total portfolio.
At the end of the third quarter of 2021, 59 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $4.3 billion in Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU), down from 61 in the preceding quarter worth $3.3 billion.
Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Florida-based investment firm Pentwater Capital Management is a leading shareholder in Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU) with 2.1 million shares worth more than $574 million.
In its Q1 2021 investor letter, Miller/Howard Investments, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Kansas City Southern (NYSE:KSU) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:
“Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) agreed to acquire Kansas City Southern (KSU) in the largest rail deal in over a decade. The merger will create the first rail network connecting Canada, the US, and Mexico, and it should benefit from the passage of the USMCA Trade Agreement. We initiated a position in KSU in Q4 as we expected it to benefit from growing North American trade and viewed it as a consolidation candidate.”
5. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 250
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a diversified technology company. It has recently joined hands with tech giant Meta to integrate Teams and Workplace, the professional communications platforms marketed by each respectively.
Latest securities filings reveal that Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust owned 2.9 million shares in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) at the end of the third quarter of 2021 worth $828 million.
Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Washington-based investment firm Fisher Asset Management is a leading shareholder in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) with 25 million shares worth more than $7 billion.
At the end of the third quarter of 2021, 250 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $6.5 billion in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), down from 238 in the preceding quarter worth $6.2 billion.
In addition to Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT), and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-A), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the stocks that hedge funds are buying.
In its Q1 2021 investor letter, Polen Capital, an investment management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:
“We have written extensively about Microsoft in recent commentaries. It was our leading contributor last year and one of our largest weightings within the Portfolio. It continues to experience business momentum through several dominant, essential, and competitively advantaged businesses, like Office 365 and Azure. The markets it competes for are enormous, which gives the company the ability to compound at scale. In the past quarter alone, the company generated over $40 billion in revenue, representing a 17% growth rate. The inherent operating leverage in Microsoft’s business model continues and led to 34% earnings growth this past quarter. Despite the broad rotation we saw in the first quarter and Microsoft’s robust performance in 2020, we think its business fundamentals continue to exhibit strength, and the stock continues to reflect the fundamentals.”
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Disclosure. None. Bill Gates Portfolio: Most Recent Investments is originally published on Insider Monkey.
