BMW is mainly owned by the Quandt family, who have 50.2% of the company’s ordinary shares, which have voting rights. The Quandt family consists of Stefan Quandt, who owns 27.7% of the company, and Susanne Klatten, who owns 22.5% of the company. 1.3% of the shares are owned by BMW itself, while the rest of the shares are held by institutional investors, mutual funds, and other individual investors.
Source: BMW.
BMW, or Bayerische Motoren Werke, has been an icon of luxury vehicles and innovative German engineering for over 100 years since its founding as an aircraft engine manufacturer in 1916.
Today, BMW generates over $164 billion in annual revenue, selling over 2.4 million cars and motorcycles across its brands, including BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce.
Key highlights:
- The Quandt family holds a 502% stake in BMW, making them the largest shareholders, with Stefan Quandt owning 27.7% and Susanne Klatten owning 22.5%.
- Institutional investors own a significant portion of BMW, with AQTON SE being the largest institutional shareholder at 8.8%, followed by BlackRock with 3%.
- BMW generates over $164 billion in annual revenue and sells more than 2.4 million vehicles per year across its BMW, MINI, and Rolls-Royce brands.
- The company is leading the luxury automotive sector’s transition to electrification, positioning itself as a key player in premium sustainable mobility.
From its early days powering zeppelins and fighter planes in the World Wars, BMW has evolved into an auto empire selling sleek “Ultimate Driving Machines” worldwide.
Over the past decade, under CEO Oliver Zipse, the company has achieved impressive growth as demand has grown for its X series SUVs, high-performance M-class sports cars, as well as electric i3s and i8s.
Currently, the BMW stock trades at around €80.5 per share, which is still quite far from its all-time high of €119, which was achieved in 2015. Now, with the company leading the luxury segment transition towards electrification, BMW is positioned competitively to pioneer premium mobility into the future.
BMW stock chart since 2020.
Who owns BMW? Exploring the top shareholders
The largest share of BMW shares is controlled by the Quandt family, who inherited the stake from their father, Herbert Quandt. Herbert was an industrialist who saved BMW from bankruptcy in the 1960s. Currently, the family owns 50.2% of the company’s ordinary shares, which have voting rights.
In the following sections, we’ll examine BMW’s ownership structure and list the largest BMW stockholders.
BMW.DE Total Share Details. Source: BMW
Top 10 institutional owners of BMW
The 10 largest institutions that own BMW stock control over 17.6% of all BMW shares. In the table below, you can see the position of the ten biggest institutional holders of BMW.
| Institution | Stake | Shares Owned | Total Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQTON SE | 8.88% | 54,700,734 | $4.3 billion |
| BlackRock, Inc. | 3.09% | 19,053,787 | $1.5 billion |
| The Vanguard Group, Inc. | 2.54% | 15,662,171 | $1.3 billion |
| Flossbach von Storch SE | 2.07% | 12,772,520 | $1.0 billion |
| Schroder Investment Management Limited | 1.24% | 7,626,454 | $613 million |
| Willerfunds – Private Suite – Schroder Global Climate Change | 1.10% | 6,762,000 | $544 million |
| Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management | 1.01% | 6,231,697 | $501 million |
| GQG Partners LLC | 0.90% | 5,571,193 | $448 million |
| Amundi Asset Management SAS | 0.86% | 5,280,300 | $425 million |
| Norges Bank Investment Management | 0.74% | 4,557,075 | $366 million |
Source: Investing.com
AQTON SE
An investment company founded in 2020 by Stefan Quandt. AQTON SE offers a variety of investment opportunities in four sectors, including the automotive industry and digital security. The company currently has an 8.88% stake in BMW.DE, making it the largest institutional owner and a long-term investor, supporting the company’s strategic vision and sustainability goals.
- BMW.DE relative stake: 8.88%
- BMW.DE shares owned: 54.7 million
- Total value of BMW.DE owned: $4.3 billion
BlackRock, Inc.
BlackRock, Inc. is the world’s largest asset management firm, with approximately $14 trillion in AUM. Founded in 1988, it offers investment solutions such as mutual funds, ETFs, and risk management services. BlackRock holds a 3.09% stake in BMW.DE, with its shares valued at $1.5 billion, making it one of the company’s key institutional investors. It is known for its iShares ETFs and Aladdin risk management platform.
- BMW.DE relative stake: 3.09%
- BMW.DE shares owned: 19 million
- Total value of BMW.DE owned: $1.5 billion
Vanguard Group
The Vanguard Group, Inc. is the second-largest institutional owner of BMW, with a 2.54% stake in the company. Vanguard is one of the largest investment management companies in the world, with $9.3 trillion in AUM. It is known for its low-cost index funds and ETFs, which aim to track the performance of various market indices.
- BMW.DE relative stake: 2.29%
- BMW.DE shares owned: 19 million
- Total value of BMW.DE owned: $1.3 billion
Top 10 mutual funds holding BMW.DE
| Holder | Stake | Shares Owned | Total Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goldman Sachs TRT II-Goldman Sachs GQG Part. Intl Opportunities Fd. | 0.97% | 5.36M | $432 million |
| Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund | 0.75% | 4.16M | $336 million |
| Oakmark International Fund | 0.55% | 3.04M | $245 million |
| Vanguard International Growth Fund | 0.51% | 2.82M | $228 million |
| Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund | 0.49% | 2.74M | $221 million |
| iShares Trust-iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | 0.34% | 1.86M | $150 million |
| Fidelity Series International Value Fund | 0.23% | 1.26M | $101 million |
| Fidelity International Index Fund | 0.18% | 1.01M | $81 million |
| Fidelity Rutland Square TRT II-Strategic Advisers Fidelity Intl Fd. | 0.18% | 983.01k | $79 million |
| iShares Trust-iShares MSCI EAFE ETF | 0.17% | 962.19k | $77 million |
Source: Yahoo Finance
Top Insider stockholders of BMW.DE (The Quandt Family)
| Insider Stockholders | Position | Stake | Shares | Total Value |
| Stefan Quandt | Vice Chairman | 27.7% | 155,385,238 | $18.9 billion |
| Susanne Klatten | Member of the Supervisory Board | 22.5% | 125,815,659 | $15.3 billion |
Source: MarketScreener
The Quandt family
As stated earlier, the Quandt family consists of Stefan Quandt and Susanne Klatten, who are the largest insider owners of BMW, with a 50.2% stake in the company’s ordinary shares.
Stefan Quandt is the chairman of AQTON SE, While Susanne Klatten is the sole owner and deputy chairwoman of SKion GmbH, also a holding company like AQTON SE that invests in various sectors, such as chemicals, biotechnology, energy, and mobility.
The bottom Line
BMW has a diversified portfolio of brands and products, ranging from the iconic BMW cars and motorcycles to the MINI and Rolls-Royce brands, to the electric and hybrid vehicles. The company is also at the forefront of the transition to electrification, with ambitious goals to increase its market share and profitability in the premium segment.
It’s safe to say the company is worth investing in, as it offers a combination of quality, performance, and sustainability that is unmatched by its competitors.
If you are interested in buying BMW shares, you can check out our step-by-step guide on how to buy BMW Group stock on eToro.
If you want to learn more about the ownership structures of other corporations, check out our articles about Prime and Paramount.