For the first time, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust has directly acquired shares in a Vietnamese company. The trust, managed by billionaire Bill Gates, now holds over 1 million shares of Masan Consumer (MCH), representing more than 0.14% of the company’s capital.

Recently, Masan Consumer announced the results of a vote regarding additional dividend payments for 2023. A remarkable 97.3% of shareholders approved the plan to pay a cash dividend of 168%, equivalent to VND 16,800 per share.

Among the shareholders, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust stands out, currently holding over 1.04 million shares, valued at approximately VND 212 billion. This makes the trust the 11th largest shareholder in the company. With the new dividend plan, the trust is expected to receive nearly VND 17.5 billion, adding to the VND 10.4 billion already received from previous dividend payments in 2023, bringing the total to nearly VND 28 billion.

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Historically, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust has indirectly invested in Vietnam through the Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited (VEIL) fund, which is managed by Dragon Capital. By mid-2023, the trust was the second-largest shareholder in VEIL, with nearly 24.7 million fund certificates. However, the trust had never held direct shares in a Vietnamese company before now.

Interestingly, despite its increasing presence in Vietnam, the trust has reduced its exposure to global technology giants. In the fourth quarter of 2023, it sold off its shares in major tech companies like Apple, Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, and Nvidia, as well as other prominent names such as Walt Disney, Morgan Stanley, Johnson & Johnson, and Unilever.

Masan Consumer, known for its robust growth, is set to distribute an additional VND 12,000 billion in dividends this year. This move comes ahead of the company’s expected transfer from UPCoM to HoSE in early 2024. The company’s strong financial performance, with a record profit of VND 7,195 billion in 2023, has enabled these significant payouts.

In the first half of 2024, Masan Consumer recorded VND 13,968 billion in revenue, an increase of 11.6%, with a gross profit margin of 46.5%. Pre-tax profit reached VND 3,923 billion, while after-tax profit amounted to VND 3,458 billion, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 14.6% and 13.4%, respectively.

Masan Consumer has ambitious goals for 2024, targeting net revenue of VND 31,500 to 34,500 billion and after-tax profit of VND 7,300 to 7,500 billion. By mid-year, the company had achieved over 40% of its revenue goal and nearly 47% of its profit target.

CEO Truong Cong Thang highlighted the company’s strategy to dominate both domestic and global markets by growing its six billion-dollar brands and expanding its product portfolio to cater to consumers both at home and abroad. Key brands like Kokomi, Omachi, Chinsu, Nam Ngu, and Wakeup 24/7, which contribute significantly to Masan Group’s overall revenue, are expected to play pivotal roles in this growth.

Since the beginning of 2024, MCH shares have more than doubled in value, now exceeding VND 200,000 per share, giving Masan Consumer a market capitalization of approximately VND 147,600 billion (USD 5.9 billion).