Yes, as of late 2025, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust holds a significant investment in Walmart Inc. (WMT), valued at approximately $888.9 million to $931 million, representing roughly 1.86% to 2.65% of their equity portfolio. It is one of the top holdings in their, or rather, the trust’s portfolio.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's top holdings are Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (US:BRK.B) , Waste Management, Inc. (US:WM) , Canadian National Railway Company (US:CNI) , Microsoft Corporation (US:MSFT) , and Caterpillar Inc. (US:CAT) .
The company was established by Sam Walton in 1962. There are more than 10,750 Walmart locations across 19 countries. Doug McMillon, Greg Penner, and Suresh Kumar are the top three individual shareholders of Walmart. Walmart's largest institutional investors include the Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and JPMorgan Chase.
Berkshire Hathaway ranks as the Gates Foundation Trust's largest holding. The charitable organization's big investment in Berkshire is a testament to the conglomerate's history of strong gains. Berkshire remains a great stock to buy and hold even with Buffett no longer at the helm.
Bill Gates Costco Wholesale Corp
The first Costco Wholesale trade was made in Q3 2002. Since then Bill Gates bought shares ten more times and sold shares on four occasions. The investor sold all their shares in Q4 2012 and doesn't own any shares in Costco Wholesale anymore.
Yes, Bill Gates, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, has owned McDonald's (MCD) stock, adding it to his portfolio in late 2024 and holding a significant stake valued at around $100 million, with some reports linking it to his substantial farmland ownership which supplies potatoes for the chain. While he has previously divested from McDonald's franchisee Arcos Dorados, recent filings show new purchases in the core MCD stock.
Although Microsoft and Apple were competitors, Gates wasn't out to eliminate or crush Apple – in fact, he invested in the company. In 1997, Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy and Gates stepped in with a $150 million investment to save the company.
Musk has long portrayed Tesla (TSLA), the electric-vehicle and robotics company he leads, as a play on those trends. But when Kamath asked Musk for another stock he'd invest in at current levels, he recommended two: fellow "Magnificent Seven" members Alphabet (GOOGL) and Nvidia (NVDA).
If you invested $1,000 in Walmart (WMT) about 10 years ago (around mid-2015), your investment would have grown significantly, potentially reaching over $4,000 by mid-2025, representing a substantial gain of around 300%, largely due to strong performance, diversification, and successful e-commerce growth, outperforming the S&P 500 in that period.
Bill Gates Amazon.com Inc.
Since then Bill Gates bought shares one more times and sold shares on three occasions. The investor sold all their shares in Q4 2023 and doesn't own any shares in Amazon.com anymore.
Traditionally viewed as a safe store of value during geopolitical turmoil, bullion has risen over 69% so far this year, far outpacing the S&P 500 (^GSPC), climbed 17% in 2025. Despite the soaring price per ounce, many have seen the rally as the perfect time to purchase gold for the first time.
Yes, Bill Gates, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, has owned McDonald's (MCD) stock, adding it to his portfolio in late 2024 and holding a significant stake valued at around $100 million, with some reports linking it to his substantial farmland ownership which supplies potatoes for the chain. While he has previously divested from McDonald's franchisee Arcos Dorados, recent filings show new purchases in the core MCD stock.
Apple Inc. is a publicly traded company, meaning it's owned by its shareholders. The largest shareholders include institutional investors such as Vanguard Group and BlackRock. While no individual owns Apple outright, Tim Cook serves as the CEO and is a key public face of the company.
Investing $100 in Bitcoin about 10 years ago (around late 2015/early 2016) would have turned that initial amount into tens of thousands of dollars, potentially over $30,000, given Bitcoin's massive growth from roughly $300-$400 per coin to over $100,000 by late 2025/early 2026, though exact value depends on the specific purchase price and current market fluctuations, representing an astronomical return but also highlighting Bitcoin's extreme volatility.