From Microsoft to the Four Seasons Hotel

With a net worth of $101.1 billion, Bill Gates currently ranks 4th on Forbes’ 2022 Billionaires list. He is best known for being one of the founders of Microsoft, a co-founder of the Giving Pledge and currently serves as a Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In addition to being an acclaimed philanthropist and software developer, he is also a successful investor and business tycoon.

Let’s take a look at Bill Gates’ many deals:

Berskshire Hathaway, Inc.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is a Nebraska-based multi-industry company. Its CEO, Warren Buffet, is a close friend of Gates. The company has evolved from a textile industry into a group of investment, insurance, real estate, consumer products and restaurant companies. Gates owns more than 34.6 million of its shares, which translates to $9.47 billion.

Caterpillar Inc.

Caterpillar Inc. is a construction equipment giant with over 500 manufacturing and service locations worldwide. Gates’ stake in the company is 7.35 million shares, equivalent to more than $1.31 billion. That’s 7.43% of the billionaire’s portfolio.

Canadian National Railway

The Canadian National Railway Company, Canada’s largest railroad by both network and revenue, had a market cap of approximately $90 billion at the end of 2021. Gates owns 10 million shares of the company, valued at $1.16 billion as of June. 2022. This accounts for 6.54% of its portfolio.

Coca-cola Femsa SAB de CV

Coca-cola Femsa SAB de CV is the world’s largest franchised bottler of Coca-Cola by sales volume. They produce and sell branded beverages of the Coca-Cola Company. Gates owns 6.2 million shares of the franchise giant, valued at $3.43 million. This accounts for 1.94% of the billionaire’s portfolio.

Crown Castle International Corp

Crown Castle is a shared communications infrastructure provider with a network of over 40,000 cell towers and approximately 85,000 route kilometers of fiber optics. Gates owns 1.42 million of its shares, valued at $2.39 million — 1.35% of its portfolio.

Ecolab Inc

Ecolab is an American company that offers solutions for water purification, hygiene and infection prevention. Another company that fits in with the billionaire’s sustainability initiatives, whose 4.36 million shares (worth $6.7 million) are owned by Gates. That number represents 3.80% of the tycoon’s portfolio.

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Founded in 1961, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is a luxury hotel and resort company that operates over one hundred hotels and resorts around the world. With Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, the foundation owns 95% of the company in stock after Gates and bin Talal invested $3.8 billion in 2007.

Group Televisa

Grupo Televisa is a mass media company operating in Latin America. Gates owns 16.88 million of its shares, valued at $241.03 million. This represents 1.01% of the technology pioneer’s corporate investment portfolio.

Sanderson Farms Inc.

Sanderson Farms is an American poultry producer based in Mississippi. Gates’ 524,000 shares in the company are valued at $112 million. That’s 0.64% of the billionaire’s total portfolio as of June 2022.

Microsoft

Microsoft is an American multinational technology company co-founded by Gates in 1975. When Gates resigned as CEO of Microsoft in 2002, he sold a majority of his shares in the company. He currently works as a technical advisor for the tech giant and holds 944,000 shares (worth $242 million). The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also has a small stake in the company. Gates’ stake in the company accounts for 1.37% of its total portfolio.

Schrodinger, Inc.

Schrödinger is an international company that develops a variety of pharmaceutical products. Bill’s position with the company is currently valued at $184 million, with 6.98 million shares. The billionaire’s stake in Schrodinger accounts for 1.04% of its business investment portfolio.

UPS and FedEx

Interestingly, Gates holds significant stakes in rival American courier companies United Parcel Services Inc. and FedEx Corp. He owns 740,000 shares of UPS worth $135 million; and 534,000 shares of FedEx worth $121 million. Those numbers represent 0.76% and 0.69% of Gates’ portfolio, respectively.

His investment in the two companies is interpreted as a strategy to capitalize on the growing demand for services related to e-commerce.

Walmart, Inc.

Gates also owns stakes in Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States with $600 billion in annual sales. Its 3.02 million shares of the retail giant are valued at $367 million, which is 2.08% of its portfolio.

Waste Management, Inc.

Waste Management Inc. is a renewable energy provider. The Texas-based company is known as the largest residential recycler in North America. Gates owns 18.6 million shares ($2.85 billion) of the company, which is 4.4% of its shares. His investment in the company accounts for 16.12% of Gates’ portfolio.

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