Gotrade News – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust sold its final 7.7 million Microsoft shares worth roughly $3.2 billion in Q1 2026. The exit, disclosed in a 13-F filing, closes a decades-long position in the cofounder’s company.
The divestment leaves two holdings at 43% of the $33 billion portfolio, reshaping one of the largest charitable endowments in the world. Investors are reading the move as strategic rebalancing rather than a bearish call on Microsoft.
Key Takeaways
- Gates Foundation Trust offloaded its last 7.7 million Microsoft shares worth about $3.2 billion in Q1 2026.
- Berkshire Hathaway (about 25%) and Waste Management (about 18%) now make up 43% of the $33B portfolio.
- Bill Gates personally still holds 103 million MSFT shares valued near $43 billion.
Inside the Final Microsoft Sale
According to Yahoo Finance, the trust disclosed the sale of 7.7 million MSFT shares on Friday. The transaction marks the final stage of a phased divestment that began nearly two years ago.
The trust held roughly 28.5 million Microsoft shares when the reduction started. Its most aggressive cut came in Q3 2025, when about 65% of the position was offloaded in a single quarter.
Bill Gates announced a 20-year wind-down plan in May 2025 to fully spend the endowment. Melinda French Gates has said the foundation’s $200 billion endowment should be ‘given back to society’ by 2045.
The portfolio now stands at roughly $31.7 billion across remaining holdings. The Microsoft exit does not reflect Bill Gates’ personal stance, since he still owns 103 million shares worth about $43 billion.
Top Two Holdings Now Dominate the Trust
As reported by The Motley Fool, Berkshire Hathaway accounts for around 25% of the trust. The stake is continuously replenished by Warren Buffett’s annual donations to the foundation.
Foundation rules require it to spend the full value of Buffett’s gifts plus 5% of remaining assets each year. That mechanism keeps Berkshire flowing in even as other positions are trimmed.
The second-largest holding is Waste Management at roughly 18% of the portfolio. The trust has held the waste services giant for decades, treating it as a defensive compounder.
Per The Motley Fool, Waste Management’s Q1 EBITDA margin expanded to 29.8%, up 70 basis points year-over-year. The operational gain supports the trust’s long-running confidence in the name.
Current valuations show Microsoft at 25x forward earnings, Berkshire at 1.4x price-to-book, and Waste Management at 27x earnings. The mix tilts toward steady cash generation over high-growth tech exposure.
Other investors are taking the opposite side of the Microsoft trade. Bill Ackman recently bought Microsoft shares, calling its valuation ‘highly compelling’ at about 21 times forward earnings.
The foundation’s move signals portfolio discipline tied to its spending mandate rather than a view on Microsoft’s fundamentals. Markets continue to price the software giant for durable AI-driven growth.
