Bill Gates Bought a $940 Million Stake in Heineken Even Though He's 'Not a Big Beer Drinker.' The purchase gives him ownership of 3.76% of the company's shares.
By Jonathan Small •
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Bill Gates has brewskis on the brain.
The billionaire acquired close to a billion-dollar stake in Heineken Holding NV, giving him 3.7% of the Dutch company's shares.
The filing by the Netherlands' Financial Markets Authority (AFM) said the Microsoft founder bought 10.8 million shares on February 17, worth about $939.87 million. The transaction happened the same day that Heineken's major Mexican shareholder, Femsa, sold billions of euros worth of shares.
According to Bloomberg, Femsa has indicated that it plans on selling all its shares in Heineken within two to three years.
Related: Bill Gates Shuts Down Conspiracy Theory About Owning Farmland. No 'Grand Scheme Involved.'
Not a big beer guy
Despite the enormous investment in Heineken, Gates had admitted beer isn't really his thing.
During an "Ask Me Anything" chat on Reddit a few years ago, he was asked what his favorite beer was.
"I am not a big beer drinker," Gates wrote. "When I end up at something like a baseball game, I drink light beer to get with the vibe of all the other beer drinkers. Sorry to disappoint real beer drinkers."
Heineken is not the only Dutch company Gates has invested in. He's also purchased shares in online supermarket Picnic, and has an interest in OCI, a fertilizer producer.
