What Does Bill Gates's Portfolio Look Like?

Bill Gates is the fourth-richest man in the world—after Tesla’s Elon Musk (in first place), Amazon’s Jeff Bezos (in second place), and Bernard Arnault (in third place) who oversees 70 brands. Gates has an estimated net worth of $123 billion, as of mid-2022.

Gates dropped out of Harvard University and became a technology entrepreneur after founding Microsoft Corporation in 1975. Over the decades, Gates successfully built his company into a major technology powerhouse, earning himself a fortune in the process.

Gates has since retired from the day-to-day functioning of Microsoft and focuses his efforts on his philanthropic causes through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These causes have included producing a malaria vaccine, gun control reform, and education reform. The Foundation has a substantial portfolio of investments. Its investment philosophy is to use capital from the Foundation to help businesses create solutions to complex and entrenched problems.

Key Takeaways

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s portfolio has Berkshire Hathaway as its top holding with 50 million shares valued at over $11B.
Waste Management is the second-largest holding with over 18.6 million shares valued at $2.12 billion.
The third-largest holding is the Canadian National Railway Company with over 17.1 million shares valued at $1.54 billion.
Caterpillar Inc. is the fourth-largest holding with 11.2 million shares for a total value of $1.66 billion.
The Gates Foundation holds more than 7 million shares in it’s fifth-largest holding, Grupo Televisa.

What Bill Gates’ Portfolio Looks Like

The following are some of the Foundation’s most prominent holdings, including their market values as of the filing date of February 14, 2022, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

All other financial information, including market capitalization data for the below companies, was as of Dec. 22, 2021. Market capitalization—or market cap for short—is the aggregate value of a company using the total number of outstanding equity shares multiplied by the company’s current stock price.

1. Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.

The largest holding in the Foundation’s portfolio is Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (BRK.B). The Foundation holds approximately 34 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway with a market value of just over $10 billion.

Berkshire Hathaway is one of the largest companies in the S&P 500, with a market cap of $689.61 billion as of May 26, 2022. The company was ranked seventh on the 2022 Fortune 500 list. Bill Gates has developed a very close relationship with Warren Buffett since they first met in 1991; Gates served on the Board of Directors of Berkshire Hathaway until March 2020. Both investors have signed a pledge to give away a significant portion of their wealth to philanthropic causes.

2. Waste Management, Inc.

Waste Management, Inc. (WM) is the second-largest holding in the Foundation’s portfolio. The Foundation owns over 18.6 million shares with a market value of $3.1 billion.

Waste Management is a provider of waste management and associated environmental services. It further develops and operates waste to energy and landfill gas to energy facilities in the United States. It is the largest waste management company in the country, with over 20 million customers. The company has a market cap of $64.78 billion as of May 26, 2022, and was ranked 203rd on the 2022 Fortune 500 list.

3. Canadian National Railway Company

The third-largest holding in the Foundation’s portfolio is the Canadian National Railway Company (CNI). The Foundation has over 13.07 million shares with a market value of $1.6 billion.

Canadian National Railway provides integrated transportation services including rail, trucking, freight forwarding, and warehousing. The company mainly transports petroleum products, grain and fertilizers, coal, metals, and automotive products. As of May 26, 2022, it has a market cap of $76.31 billion.

4. Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) is the fourth-largest holding in the Foundation’s portfolio. The Foundation holds over 9.68 million shares of Caterpillar, with a market value of more than $2 billion. Caterpillar is a manufacturer of heavy equipment used for mining, agriculture, and energy. Caterpillar has a market cap of $113.60 billion and was ranked 73rd on the 2020 Fortune 500 list.

5. Grupo Televisa S A B

Grupo Televisa is the fifth-largest holding in the Foundation’s portfolio, with more than 7.04 million shares and a market value of nearly $65.95 million. Grupo Televisa is a global mass media company, producing content mainly in Spanish. Grupo Televisa operates four segments, Content, Cable, Sky, and other businesses. Grupo Televisa has a market cap of $5.23 billion.