Bill Gates has spent $902 million to acquired a minority stake in Heineken Holding NV, the majority shareholder of the world’s second-largest brewer.
According to a filing with the Dutch regulator AFM, the Microsoft inventor and philanthropist purchased 3.8% of Heineken Holding’s shares.
Specifically, he bought 6.65 million shares in Heineken Holding in his individual capacity, and another 4.18 million shares through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust.
More about This Development: According to Bloomberg, the shares are worth €848.2 million ($902 million) at the February 17 closing share price. Gates purchased the stake on the same day that Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB announced a €3.7 billion stock and equity-linked sale of a portion of its Heineken assets.
Big Investments in Heineken: Following a strategic review, Femsa, the Mexican Coca-Cola bottler and convenience store operator, revealed plans to sell its stake in Heineken.
Femsa announced an accelerated book build sale of €1.9 billion in shares of Heineken NV at €91 per share and €1.3 billion in shares of Heineken Holding at €75 per share. Heineken Holding owns 50% of Heineken NV, which produces the namesake beverage as well as Amstel, Moretti, and Sol.
Other investments by Bill and Melinda Gates: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust foundation has also invested in Dutch online grocer Picnic BV and holds a 1.34% stake in Dutch fertilizer producer OCI NV.
The foundation has long been a powerhouse in the nonprofit world, employing almost 1,800 people and spending nearly $80 billion since 2000. Heineken and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
What you should know: Although Gates is no longer as involved in Microsoft as he once was, he still owns approximately 1.3% of the business, a stake worth approximately $27 billion. Microsoft is also the largest asset of the Gates Foundation Trust.
The trust owns more than 39.26 million Microsoft shares valued at approximately $9.41 billion. Microsoft recorded 17.9% revenue growth in 2022 despite its $1.9 trillion valuation.
