Forbes magazine recently came out with its list of the wealthiest 400 Americans. Many of the names are very familiar, such as the wealthiest, Bill Gates, who along with Paul Allen and Steven Ballmer, rode to their wealth on the success of Microsoft (MSFT). And, of course, there is Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A) Warren Buffett.

Stockpickr has reviewed the top 20 wealthiest from Forbes' and compiled a portfolio of publicly traded stocks they're connected to.

Michael Dell is No. 11 on the Forbes list. He founded his namesake company, Dell (DELL), in 1984 with only $1,000 and started operations in his dorm room at the University of Texas. He came back to Dell last year to head the company as CEO again. The company was just upgraded by Edward Jones from a hold to a buy. The stock has a P/E of 10 and a PEG of 0.88.

Dell is owned by Renaissance Technologies, a New York-based hedge fund managed by Jim Simons. Its Medallion Fund has had an average annual return of 38%, after fees, since 1989 and is considered by many to be the top hedge fund. It also owns Credicorp (BAP), which has a P/E of 9; Nokia (NOK), with a P/E of 8; and Southern Copper (PCU), with a P/E of 5.5.

Also on the wealthiest-Americans list is Sheldon Adelson, who was ranked at No. 15, a drop from third place last year due to a fall in the prince of his Las Vegas Sands (LVS) stock. Adelson started out at the age of 12 selling newspapers, founded Comdex in the 1980s and sold out to Softbank in the 1990s. Morgan Stanley recently downgraded the LVS from overweight to equal weight and removed its price target. The stock has a forward PE of 17 and a PEG of 1.39.

The Sands is owned by the Janus Adviser Forty Fund, a long-term capital growth fund managed by Ron Sachs. It has had an average annual return of 20.84% over the last three years. The fund also owns Research In Motion (RIMM), with a P/E of 18; Gilead Sciences (GILD), with a P/E of 23; and Intuitive Surgical (ISRG), with a P/E of 40.

For more publicly traded stocks connected to the top 20 wealthiest Americans, including the Walton-family-owned Wal-Mart Stores (WMT), check out the portfolio at Stockpickr.com.

Posted on Oct. 13, 2008