Billionaire Bill Gates Has 66% of His Foundation's $42 Billion Portfolio Invested in These 5 Dividend Stocks
Key Takeaways
Bill Gates could have been the world's first trillionaire. However, his net worth today is "only" around $117 billion. He's not hurting, to say the least. One reason why Gates isn't even...
Article Overview
Quick insights and key information
4 min read
Estimated completion
investment
Article classification
July 5, 2025
05:52 AM
The Motley Fool
Original publisher
Bill Gates could have been the world's first trillionaire
However, his net worth today is "only" around $117 billion
He's not hurting, to say the least
One reason why Gates isn't even wealthier is that he didn't hold on to his stake in Microsoft (MSFT 1. 58%), the software giant he co-founded
Another factor is that Gates has given away a substantial amount of money -- a whopping $59 billion -- to the charitable organization he and his ex-wife founded, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
This foundation has also given away a lot of money to help people around the world
However, it still boasts a sizable investment portfolio of roughly $42 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2025
And Gates has 66% of his foundation's portfolio invested in the ing five dividend stocks
Image source: Getty Images
Microsoft Unsurprisingly, Microsoft is the largest holding for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust
The company makes up nearly 25. 6% of the foundation's total portfolio, with a stake worth almost $10. 7 billion at the end of Q1
Although many stocks don't pay dividends, Microsoft initiated its dividend gram in 2003
The company has increased its dividend for 20 consecutive years
However, Microsoft's dividend still isn't all that attractive, with a forward yield of only 0
Gates donated billions of dollars worth of Microsoft s to his foundation at its inception in 2000
The stock floundered for years, but began to take off in 2015
Its momentum continues today, thanks to a major tailwind from artificial intelligence (AI) adoption
Waste Management Waste Management (WM 1. 57%) ranks as the Gates Foundation Trust's third-largest holding, trailing Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway
At the end of Q1, the foundation's position in Waste Management made up nearly 17. 9% of its portfolio
While Berkshire has never paid a dividend, Waste Management has paid quarterly dividends since 1998
The big waste management services vider has increased its dividend for 22 consecutive years
Its forward dividend yield currently stands at 1
Canadian National Railway The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust owned over 54. 8 million s of Canadian National Railway (CNI -0. 13%) at the end of Q1, worth around $5. 34 billion
This position comprised nearly 12. 8% of the foundation's total portfolio
Canadian National Railway, also known as CN, operates a rail network spanning nearly 20,000 miles
The company has increased its dividend for 29 consecutive years
CN's forward dividend yield is 2
Caterpillar Giant machinery company Caterpillar (CAT -0. 01%) is the Gates Foundation Trust's fifth-largest position
At the end of Q1, the foundation owned a stake in Caterpillar worth roughly $2. 43 billion, making up 5. 8% of its portfolio
Caterpillar has paid a dividend every quarter since 1933
It also boasts a 31-year streak of dividend increases, with its dividend hike announced last month
The industrial giant's forward dividend yield is 1
The Gates Foundation Trust had $1. 67 billion invested in Deere & Co. 23%) at the end of Q1
This stake was enough to make up just a hair below 4% of the foundation's total portfolio
While Deere has paid quarterly dividends for decades, the agriculture machinery manufacturer hasn't always increased its dividend each year
However, Deere's recent track record is impressive, with the company more than doubling its dividend payout over the last five years
Its forward dividend yield is 1
Should you own these dividend stocks, too
You shouldn't buy any stock solely because a famous person owns it (or because the famous person's charitable organization owns it)
However, I think two of these dividend stocks in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's portfolio stand out as pretty good picks
Income investors might Canadian National Railways
Its dividend yield is more than twice the yield of the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0
CN's is also resilient
I doubt that income investors will get excited Microsoft, but growth investors should
As mentioned, AI is a key growth driver for the company
In particular, Microsoft Azure, the world's second-largest cloud platform, should benefit tremendously from increased AI adoption
Keith Speights has positions in Berkshire Hathaway and Microsoft
The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway, Deere & Company, and Microsoft
The Motley Fool recommends Canadian National Railway and Waste Management and recommends the ing options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft
The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Related Articles
More insights from FinancialBooklet