Bill Gates has transferred $1.8 billion in stocks to his estranged wife Melinda Gates

According to documents obtained by TMZ, Bill - who has an estimated net worth of more than $124 billion - transferred more than 14 million shares of Canadian National Railway Co., worth around $1.53 billion, and more than 2.9 million shares of AutoNation Inc, worth around $310 million, via his investment firm, Cascade Investment LLC.

The pair - who have three children together, 21-year-old son Rory, and daughters Jennifer, 25, and Phoebe, 18 - announced their divorce after

27 years of marriage in a joint statement.

It read: "After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage. Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue to work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life."

In 2000, they launched the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a philanthropic organisation which strives to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the globe.