Why is the LDS Church selling off billions in stocks?

The investment arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ensign Peak Advisors, has recently embarked on an unprecedented selling spree, shedding billions in stocks and other equities. This selling spree, totaling around $7.7 billion within six months, has caught the attention of financial analysts and researchers who closely monitor the faith’s financial activities.

The huge investment fund of the LDS Church, with a portfolio valued at just over $56 billion, has raised eyebrows with its significant divestiture of assets. Financial filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reveal that the fund sold nearly $5.6 billion in stocks in the final quarter of 2025 alone, representing approximately 9% of its total value. This came on the heels of a previous quarter where Ensign Peak liquidated $2.1 billion in holdings. These numbers have shattered any prior selling patterns, showcasing a departure from the fund’s historic practices.

The majority of these multibillion-dollar sales were derived from Ensign Peak’s 500 largest stock positions, primarily blue-chip stocks from some of the world’s most prominent publicly traded companies. These sales, coupled with market upswings, caused the total portfolio value to drop to $56.6 billion from a previous high of $60.9 billion. Despite these sales, Ensign Peak retains substantial stakes in technology stocks, with significant holdings in companies like Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple.

Analysts and researchers at the Widow’s Mite Report, a website dedicated to investigating the LDS Church’s financial operations through public documents, have noted this substantial change in Ensign Peak’s investment strategy. They speculate that this “sharp pivot” from U.S. equities could indicate a negative long-term outlook on those stocks. In the past, Ensign Peak closely mirrored the S&P 500 index in its investment approach, but recent sales suggest a departure from this strategy.

One possible explanation for this selling spree could be a move to shift assets out of public disclosure. Under U.S. law, institutional investment managers like Ensign Peak are required to disclose their holdings only when they exceed $100 million in total market value. By selling assets or allocating them to third-party managers, they may be able to avoid public disclosure requirements for certain investments.

Ensign Peak’s fund is just a part of the vast wealth amassed by the LDS Church in investments, businesses, and land holdings. It represents a fraction of the Church’s overall financial resources, serving as a reserve fund to safeguard against economic downturns and assist with cash management for current and future operational needs. While the reasons behind this unprecedented selling spree remain undisclosed by Ensign Peak officials, the financial community remains keenly interested in deciphering the motives behind these significant divestitures.