Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos just got married and has lots of expenses — perhaps explaining why he's selling more shares of his stock. And that means five investors now dominate ownership of the S&P 500 retail giant.
Five investors, including Vanguard Group, BlackRock, State Street Global Advisors and Fidelity, are just behind Bezos in terms of ownership of the firm. Bezos is still the No. 1 holder of Amazon at 8.5%, but just barely. Vanguard is just behind him with a 7.8% stake, says S&P Global Market Intelligence. And that's on the heels of the former Amazon CEO selling nearly 4 million shares as of June 30.
Such rising dominance by the top ETF providers in this key S&P 500 stock highlights just how influential these passive investors have become. Together, Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street and Fidelity control 21% of Amazon, far outranking Bezos himself.
Bezos Selling His S&P 500 Stock Member
Bezos, as is typically the case with founders, is gradually divesting ownership of the company he created.
He's been steadily selling in most of the past quarters. His ownership of 905 million shares is down nearly 9% from June 30, 2023. Again, this is typical for most founders to divest shares. It's done so the owner can diversify their own portfolio, fund new ventures or make charitable contributions.
And life happens, too. Bezos would own much more of Amazon if not for his divorce. Former wife MacKenzie Scott still owns 112 million shares, despite selling off more than half her position in the past two years.
Meanwhile, ETF providers continue to rise in importance, not just with Amazon, but in the entire S&P 500. And that's only likely to grow.
Largest Amazon.com Owners
| Holder | % of company owned | Shares held | % ownership ch. From June 30,2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bezos, Jeffrey P. (founder and executive chairman) | 8.5% | 905,454,975 | -8.6% |
| Vanguard Group | 7.8% | 832,274,556 | 14.7% |
| BlackRock | 6.6% | 702,803,405 | 15.0% |
| State Street Global Advisors | 3.5% | 368,934,077 | 9.8% |
| FMR (Fidelity) | 3.0% | 312,833,298 | 17.6% |
