Latest news with #Bill&MelindaGatesFoundationTrust
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK-A): Among the Best Stocks to Buy According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust
We recently compiled a list of the . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-A) stands against Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's other stock picks. Bill Gates has invested billions of dollars in stocks to fund the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, widely regarded as the world's largest private foundation, formed through the merger of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation. According to the Trust, its aim is to address major humanitarian concerns such as poverty, a lack of opportunity, and infectious diseases. Over the past 30 years, Bill and Melinda have contributed an estimated $47.7 billion of their fortune to their foundation and predecessor. The foundation's trust maintains a highly concentrated equities portfolio, reflecting the influence of Bill Gates and his longtime friend and former foundation trustee, Warren Buffett. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has set a record $8.74 billion budget for 2025, with intentions to increase yearly distributions to $9 billion the following year. Mark Suzman, the foundation's CEO, stated that the record approval by its governing council is consistent with the foundation's goal of a world "where everyone, everywhere, deserves the chance to live a healthy, productive life." Previously regarded as an aspect of science fiction, AI appears to have entered ordinary life and is now finding its way to consumers and businesses. Bill Gates predicts that by 2035, artificial intelligence will take over roles traditionally held by doctors, teachers, and other professionals, ushering in what he calls the era of "free intelligence." According to Gates, this transition will result in rapid advancements in AI technology that will become firmly integrated into daily life, ranging from better healthcare solutions and more accurate diagnoses to broad access to AI tutors and virtual assistants. However, while the potential is enormous, Gates admits that there are "understandable and valid" concerns about AI's existing capabilities. In a 2023 blog post, he stated that even the most advanced AI systems make mistakes and can contribute to the spread of misinformation. Still, Gates is optimistic: if he were to establish a new firm today, he told CNBC Make It in September 2024, it would be an "AI-centric" startup. For this list, we picked stocks from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's 13F portfolio as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. These equities are also popular among elite hedge funds. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). A team of insurance professionals in a boardroom overlooking a city skyline. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-A) is a diversified global conglomerate holding company primarily focused on the insurance sector. It invests cash generated by insurance operations in a wide range of subsidiaries, stock holdings, and securities from numerous sectors. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-A) announced a significant spike in Q4 2024 earnings, mostly due to its insurance firms, while cash holdings reached a record high. The company's operational profit increased by 71% to $14.53 billion in the quarter. This expansion was driven by a 302% increase in insurance underwriting profits, which totaled $3.41 billion, and an approximately 50% increase in insurance investment income, which totaled $4.09 billion. Wall Street analysts Meyer Shields of KBW and Brian Meredith of UBS boosted their price forecasts for Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK-A) after the firm reported Q4 2024 earnings in late February. Meredith reaffirmed his Buy rating on the company, raising his target to $836,135 from $803,444, while Shields increased his target price for BRK-A shares to $775,000 from $750,000, retaining a market perform rating. Overall BRK-A ranks 2nd on our list of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's stock picks. While we acknowledge the potential for BRK-A as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than BRK-A but trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Among the Best Stocks to Buy According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust
We recently compiled a list of the . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) stands against Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's other stock picks. Bill Gates has invested billions of dollars in stocks to fund the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, widely regarded as the world's largest private foundation, formed through the merger of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation. According to the Trust, its aim is to address major humanitarian concerns such as poverty, a lack of opportunity, and infectious diseases. Over the past 30 years, Bill and Melinda have contributed an estimated $47.7 billion of their fortune to their foundation and predecessor. The foundation's trust maintains a highly concentrated equities portfolio, reflecting the influence of Bill Gates and his longtime friend and former foundation trustee, Warren Buffett. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has set a record $8.74 billion budget for 2025, with intentions to increase yearly distributions to $9 billion the following year. Mark Suzman, the foundation's CEO, stated that the record approval by its governing council is consistent with the foundation's goal of a world "where everyone, everywhere, deserves the chance to live a healthy, productive life." Previously regarded as an aspect of science fiction, AI appears to have entered ordinary life and is now finding its way to consumers and businesses. Bill Gates predicts that by 2035, artificial intelligence will take over roles traditionally held by doctors, teachers, and other professionals, ushering in what he calls the era of "free intelligence." According to Gates, this transition will result in rapid advancements in AI technology that will become firmly integrated into daily life, ranging from better healthcare solutions and more accurate diagnoses to broad access to AI tutors and virtual assistants. However, while the potential is enormous, Gates admits that there are "understandable and valid" concerns about AI's existing capabilities. In a 2023 blog post, he stated that even the most advanced AI systems make mistakes and can contribute to the spread of misinformation. Still, Gates is optimistic: if he were to establish a new firm today, he told CNBC Make It in September 2024, it would be an "AI-centric" startup. For this list, we picked stocks from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's 13F portfolio as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. These equities are also popular among elite hedge funds. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). A development team working together to create the next version of Windows. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a leading technology firm recognized for its core software products, which include the Windows operating system, the Microsoft 365 suite, and the Edge browser. Its offerings include corporate software, software development tools, video games, gaming equipment, and cloud services. On April 17, KeyBanc analysts downgraded Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) from Overweight to Sector Weight, citing worries about the timing of AI demand and monetization. Microsoft has made substantial investments in artificial intelligence and its cloud computing service Azure, which have become key components of the company's development plan. The analysts' downgrade shows a cautious view on whether these investments will generate the projected returns. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) reported $69.6 billion in revenue in the second-quarter of fiscal year 2025, a 12% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, operational income increased by 17%, while the cloud segment reached a record $40.9 billion, up 21%, with Azure services alone increasing 31%. Furthermore, AI services fueled 13 points of Azure's growth, while Microsoft's commercial software category climbed by 14% to $29.4 billion. Overall MSFT ranks 1st on our list of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's stock picks. While we acknowledge the potential for MSFT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MSFT but trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Waste Management, Inc. (WM): Among the Best Stocks to Buy According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust
We recently compiled a list of the . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) stands against Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's other stock picks. Bill Gates has invested billions of dollars in stocks to fund the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, widely regarded as the world's largest private foundation, formed through the merger of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation. According to the Trust, its aim is to address major humanitarian concerns such as poverty, a lack of opportunity, and infectious diseases. Over the past 30 years, Bill and Melinda have contributed an estimated $47.7 billion of their fortune to their foundation and predecessor. The foundation's trust maintains a highly concentrated equities portfolio, reflecting the influence of Bill Gates and his longtime friend and former foundation trustee, Warren Buffett. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has set a record $8.74 billion budget for 2025, with intentions to increase yearly distributions to $9 billion the following year. Mark Suzman, the foundation's CEO, stated that the record approval by its governing council is consistent with the foundation's goal of a world "where everyone, everywhere, deserves the chance to live a healthy, productive life." Previously regarded as an aspect of science fiction, AI appears to have entered ordinary life and is now finding its way to consumers and businesses. Bill Gates predicts that by 2035, artificial intelligence will take over roles traditionally held by doctors, teachers, and other professionals, ushering in what he calls the era of "free intelligence." According to Gates, this transition will result in rapid advancements in AI technology that will become firmly integrated into daily life, ranging from better healthcare solutions and more accurate diagnoses to broad access to AI tutors and virtual assistants. However, while the potential is enormous, Gates admits that there are "understandable and valid" concerns about AI's existing capabilities. In a 2023 blog post, he stated that even the most advanced AI systems make mistakes and can contribute to the spread of misinformation. Still, Gates is optimistic: if he were to establish a new firm today, he told CNBC Make It in September 2024, it would be an "AI-centric" startup. For this list, we picked stocks from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's 13F portfolio as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. These equities are also popular among elite hedge funds. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). Aerial view of a Waste Management Transfer Station, highlighting the scale of its operations. Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) is a waste collection and disposal industry leader with a dominant market share and unequaled landfill ownership. In the first week of April, WM celebrated the grand openings of four important projects, including recycling facilities in Baltimore and in Central Texas, as well as RNG facilities in Chicago and Philadelphia. These openings are part of the company's broader initiative, with over $323 million already committed in these sites. Jefferies recently boosted its price target for Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) shares to $257, highlighting the company's strong financial quarter, with revenue and EBITDA above consensus estimates. Meanwhile, Stifel maintained a Buy rating with a target price of $252, citing Waste Management's outstanding fourth-quarter results and bullish outlook for 2025. Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) reported a decent Q4 2024 revenue of roughly $5.9 billion, up 13% year-over-year, driven by strong market demand, continued asset network expansions, and Collection and Disposal service efficiencies. However, the company's adjusted EPS fell 2.3% to $1.70 due to higher operating costs. Diamond Hill Large Cap Concentrated Fund stated the following regarding Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) in its Q4 2024 investor letter: 'As valuations have continued rising and the economic cycle has gotten relatively long in the tooth, we've thought carefully about where and how we are exposed to more cyclical stocks. As such, we initiated just three new positions in Q4: Berkshire Hathaway, Aon and Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM). Overall WM ranks 3rd on our list of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's stock picks. While we acknowledge the potential for WM as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than WM but trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT): Among the Best Stocks to Buy According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust
We recently compiled a list of the . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) stands against Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's other stock picks. Bill Gates has invested billions of dollars in stocks to fund the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, widely regarded as the world's largest private foundation, formed through the merger of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation. According to the Trust, its aim is to address major humanitarian concerns such as poverty, a lack of opportunity, and infectious diseases. Over the past 30 years, Bill and Melinda have contributed an estimated $47.7 billion of their fortune to their foundation and predecessor. The foundation's trust maintains a highly concentrated equities portfolio, reflecting the influence of Bill Gates and his longtime friend and former foundation trustee, Warren Buffett. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has set a record $8.74 billion budget for 2025, with intentions to increase yearly distributions to $9 billion the following year. Mark Suzman, the foundation's CEO, stated that the record approval by its governing council is consistent with the foundation's goal of a world "where everyone, everywhere, deserves the chance to live a healthy, productive life." Previously regarded as an aspect of science fiction, AI appears to have entered ordinary life and is now finding its way to consumers and businesses. Bill Gates predicts that by 2035, artificial intelligence will take over roles traditionally held by doctors, teachers, and other professionals, ushering in what he calls the era of "free intelligence." According to Gates, this transition will result in rapid advancements in AI technology that will become firmly integrated into daily life, ranging from better healthcare solutions and more accurate diagnoses to broad access to AI tutors and virtual assistants. However, while the potential is enormous, Gates admits that there are "understandable and valid" concerns about AI's existing capabilities. In a 2023 blog post, he stated that even the most advanced AI systems make mistakes and can contribute to the spread of misinformation. Still, Gates is optimistic: if he were to establish a new firm today, he told CNBC Make It in September 2024, it would be an "AI-centric" startup. For this list, we picked stocks from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's 13F portfolio as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. These equities are also popular among elite hedge funds. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). A construction crew operating a hydraulic shovel during a nighttime project. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT), often referred to as CAT, is a leading American manufacturer of construction, mining, and engineering equipment. The company is a key player in the industry, having been recognized as the world's largest maker of construction equipment. On April 16, Morgan Stanley analyst Angel Castillo raised Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) from Underweight to Equalweight, while also lowering the price target to $283 from $300. The upgrade follows a significant loss in Caterpillar's share price since mid-October, with a drop of over 30% and a performance lag of around 20% behind the S&P 500. Castillo stated that, despite the lower price target, the change in the stock's rating reflects the market's assessment of Caterpillar's near-term risks and long-term prospects. The analyst pointed out that the current share price more effectively reflects the downside risks to earnings, especially considering Morgan Stanley's projections, which are around 10% lower than the consensus for the company's 2025 earnings per share. Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) reported $16.2 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2024, a 5% decrease from the same period last year. This dip was primarily caused by a $859 million fall in sales volume, which was driven by reduced dealer inventories and lower demand from end users. That said, Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) maintained solid financial health in 2024, earning $12.0 billion in operating cash flow and ending the year with $6.9 billion in cash. Overall CAT ranks 5th on our list of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's stock picks. While we acknowledge the potential for CAT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CAT but trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Canadian National Railway Company (CNI): Among the Best Stocks to Buy According to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust
We recently compiled a list of the . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE:CNI) stands against Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's other stock picks. Bill Gates has invested billions of dollars in stocks to fund the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, widely regarded as the world's largest private foundation, formed through the merger of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation. According to the Trust, its aim is to address major humanitarian concerns such as poverty, a lack of opportunity, and infectious diseases. Over the past 30 years, Bill and Melinda have contributed an estimated $47.7 billion of their fortune to their foundation and predecessor. The foundation's trust maintains a highly concentrated equities portfolio, reflecting the influence of Bill Gates and his longtime friend and former foundation trustee, Warren Buffett. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has set a record $8.74 billion budget for 2025, with intentions to increase yearly distributions to $9 billion the following year. Mark Suzman, the foundation's CEO, stated that the record approval by its governing council is consistent with the foundation's goal of a world "where everyone, everywhere, deserves the chance to live a healthy, productive life." Previously regarded as an aspect of science fiction, AI appears to have entered ordinary life and is now finding its way to consumers and businesses. Bill Gates predicts that by 2035, artificial intelligence will take over roles traditionally held by doctors, teachers, and other professionals, ushering in what he calls the era of "free intelligence." According to Gates, this transition will result in rapid advancements in AI technology that will become firmly integrated into daily life, ranging from better healthcare solutions and more accurate diagnoses to broad access to AI tutors and virtual assistants. However, while the potential is enormous, Gates admits that there are "understandable and valid" concerns about AI's existing capabilities. In a 2023 blog post, he stated that even the most advanced AI systems make mistakes and can contribute to the spread of misinformation. Still, Gates is optimistic: if he were to establish a new firm today, he told CNBC Make It in September 2024, it would be an "AI-centric" startup. For this list, we picked stocks from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's 13F portfolio as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2024. These equities are also popular among elite hedge funds. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (). A driverless train traversing vast countryside, illustrating the companies long-distance rail transport services. Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE:CNI) is a North American transportation and logistics company headquartered in Montreal, Canada, that focuses on supply chain innovation and collaboration. It provides rail transportation, intermodal solutions, trucking, and marine transport. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE:CNI)'s revenue ton miles fell 3% year-over-year to 59,305 million. Revenues dropped by C$113 million year-over-year to C$4,358 million in Q4, while operating income fell by C$190 million to C$1,628 million. Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE:CNI) also declared a 5% dividend increase for 2025, extending its 29-year growth run, and approved another repurchase program for up to 20 million shares from February 2025 to February 2026. Appalaches Capital, an investment management firm, released its Q3 2024 investor letter. Here is what the fund said: 'During the quarter, we established core positions in two railroads: Canadian National Railway Company (NYSE:CNI) and CSX Corporation (CSX). The investment thesis is simple. Domestic railroads have not seen volume growth over the last 20 years despite being the cheapest, cleanest, and safest form of freight transportation.4 The lack of volume growth and related share losses to trucking is due to the poor reliability of the networks. However, there is strong evidence to believe that this may not be the case going forward. It seems that investors are overweighting historical characteristics of the industry and not giving credit to recent and sustainable improvements in service metrics. If the rails are able to show any sign of sustained volume growth, our investment should perform very well. Overall CNI ranks 4th on our list of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust's stock picks. While we acknowledge the potential for CNI as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CNI but trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
