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Gates Foundation Trust Slashes Microsoft Stake by 65% in Q3 Overhaul

Analysts call the move portfolio rebalancing to raise cash for planned grant increases.

Overview

  • The Trust sold about 17 million Microsoft shares, cutting its holding from roughly 26.19 million to 9.19 million shares.
  • Microsoft’s reported position fell in value from about $13.9 billion to roughly $4.76 billion, dropping to the portfolio’s fourth-largest holding.
  • The quarter was selling-only, generating an estimated $8.267 billion in proceeds with no new positions or increases in existing stakes.
  • Total reported portfolio value declined from $47.78 billion at the end of Q2 to $36.58 billion as of Sept. 30, and the number of holdings fell from 25 to 23.
  • Berkshire Hathaway, Waste Management, and Canadian National Railway now rank as the top three holdings, while coverage links the liquidity build to a goal of raising annual grants to about $9 billion by 2026.