Insight into Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio)' Strategic Investment Moves in Q4 2024

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Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio) recently submitted the 13F filing for the fourth quarter of 2024, providing insights into his investment moves during this period. Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio) is one of the smartest businessmen in the world. He founded Microsoft in 1975 alongside his partner Paul Allen and grew it to be one of the world's largest software developers. Thanks to the success of Microsoft, Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio) was the richest man for 15 consecutive years. The portfolio we track here before June 2009 is called Cascade Investment, which is the personal portfolio of Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio). Since June 2009, the portfolio we track is for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. The investments of the trust are managed by an outside team of portfolio managers. Bill and Melinda guide the managers in voting proxies consistent with the principles of good governance and good management. When instructing the investment managers, they also consider other issues beyond corporate profits, including the values that drive the foundation's work. They have defined areas in which the endowment will not invest, such as companies whose profit model is centrally tied to corporate activity that they find egregious.

Summary of New Buy

Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio) added a total of 1 stock, among them:

• The most significant addition was McDonald's Corp (NYSE:MCD), with 334,900 shares, accounting for 0.23% of the portfolio and a total value of $97.08 million.

Summary of Sold Out

Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio) completely exited 1 of the holdings in the fourth quarter of 2024, as detailed below:

• Vroom Inc (VRMMQ): Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio) sold all 31,250 shares, resulting in a -0% impact on the portfolio.

Key Position Reduces

Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio) also reduced positions in 2 stocks. The most significant changes include:

• Reduced Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK.B) by 2,482,589 shares, resulting in an -11.21% decrease in shares and a -2.53% impact on the portfolio. The stock traded at an average price of $461.8 during the quarter and has returned 2.62% over the past 3 months and 5.88% year-to-date.
• Reduced Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 500,000 shares, resulting in a -1.73% reduction in shares and a -0.48% impact on the portfolio. The stock traded at an average price of $426.03 during the quarter and has returned -4.20% over the past 3 months and -3.16% year-to-date.

Portfolio Overview

At the fourth quarter of 2024, Bill Gates (Trades, Portfolio)'s portfolio included 24 stocks, the top holdings included 28.55% in Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT), 21.2% in Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK.B), 15.48% in Waste Management Inc (NYSE:WM), 13.25% in Canadian National Railway Co (NYSE:CNI), 6.35% in Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT).

The holdings are mainly concentrated in 9 of all the 11 industries: Industrials, Technology, Financial Services, Consumer Defensive, Basic Materials, Consumer Cyclical, Healthcare, Communication Services, Real Estate.

This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein.