Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates is earning nearly half a billion dollars a year in dividend income from his investments, according to regulatory filings.
Gates, who is listed as the seventh richest person in the world with a net worth of $117 billion U.S., has received $464.5 million U.S. in dividends from his investment portfolio so far this year.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's most recent 13F filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reveals that a significant portion of the dividend income is generated from five key stocks.
The biggest contributor to Gates’ dividend income comes from Canadian National Railway (CNI). He currently holds 54.82 million shares of CN Rail stock valued at $6.33 billion U.S.
The Canadian company’s quarterly dividend of $0.57 U.S. per share gives Gates $125 million U.S. in annual income.
Other notable holdings of Bill Gates that contribute to his dividend income include Microsoft, Waste Management (WM), Caterpillar (CAT), and Deere & Co (DE).
Those four stocks provided Gates with nearly $350 million U.S. in annual dividend income.
As co-founder of Microsoft, Gates’s investment in the tech giant remains a significant part of his wealth and portfolio. He currently owns 39.28 million shares of Microsoft stock worth nearly $15 billion U.S.
Microsoft’s share price has gained 58% this year and is currently at $378.61 U.S., near its all-time high.
