| Ticker | Status | Jurisdiction | Filing Date | CP Start | CP End | CP Loss | Deadline |
|---|
| Ticker | Case Name | Status | CP Start | CP End | Deadline | Settlement Amt |
|---|
| Ticker | Name | Date | Analyst Firm | Up/Down | Target ($) | Rating Change | Rating Current |
|---|
A strong quarterly performance by Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT) has the stock trading close to all-time highs. The surge in Walmart shares in 2025 has helped boost the wealth of the children of Sam Walton, who founded the retail chain.
The 2025 world's richest billionaires list has seen several changes, including Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) co-founder Bill Gates dropping out of the top 10.
Gates now finds himself worth less than all three of the Walmart heirs. Here's the current rankings from Bloomberg:
The three remaining children of Sam Walton saw their fortunes each grow by $5.8 billion or more yesterday as Walmart shares rose.
Bloomberg estimates the wealth of the Walmart heirs using assumptions on the split in ownership in the family holdings and Walton Enterprises, which together control around half of the company. The children also own various stakes in Arvest Bank, the second-largest bank in Arkansas, the home state of Walmart.
Rob, the oldest child of Sam Walton, is also a co-owner of the NFL's Denver Broncos. Walton was part of a $4.65 billion buyout of the team in 2022 and owns around 34% of the team.
Further down the list sits Lukas Walton (#38) and Christy Walton (#115). Lukas is the only child of the late John T. Walton, who passed away in 2005 and was the second-oldest son of Sam Walton. Lukas owns an approximate stake of 3.7% of Walmart and 8% of Arvest Bank. Christy, widow of John Walton, owns approximately 1.9% of Walmart and 4% of Arvest Bank.
Lukas Walton and Christy Walton are worth $45.2 billion and $21.1 billion, respectively, and have gained $6.47 billion and $3.54 billion in wealth in 2025.
You may not be a billionaire like Bill Gates, but you can uncover hidden gems in the stock market using our proprietary data and pattern recognition — check out five stocks flying under the radar that deserve your attention.
The year 2025 has been unkind to the wealth of Gates, with the Microsoft founder one of the few year-to-date losers in wealth among the top billionaires. Gates has fallen from seventh place at the end of 2024 to 15th place in 2025.
Being passed by the Walton heirs has to do with several items. Walmart stock is up 18.6% year-to-date in 2025, outperforming the 12.8% year-to-date gain of Microsoft. The Walmart heirs also own a much larger portion of the company, making the gains more significant to their wealth. Gates, on the other hand, owns around 1% of Microsoft and has his wealth spread across various investments.
The other factor impacting Gates' wealth is his decision to donate 99% of his wealth to the Gates Foundation over the next two decades. The philanthropic efforts of Gates led to Bloomberg making an adjustment to the billionaire's wealth earlier this year.
Gates was the world's richest man for a record 18 years, topping the Forbes list from 1995 to 2007 and again in 2009 and parts of 2014 through 2017. The Microsoft founder falling out of the top 10 marked a rarity, with Gates previously in the top 10 for 34 years.
The Walton family could continue to move up the rankings as Walmart valuation grows. Shares trade at $106.75 at the time of writing, near an all-time high of $109.58 set in October 2025.
Other soaring valuations for stocks such as Oracle, Nvidia and Alphabet have led to founders of those companies climbing the leaderboard. With Microsoft stock trailing Walmart and technology peers, along with Gates’ focus on philanthropy, he's likely to be passed by others in 2025 and 2026.
Read Next:
