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“I buy on the assumption that they could close the market the next day and not reopen it for five years.”

— Warren Buffett

The Warren Buffett investment philosophy calls for a long-term investment horizon, where a five year holding period, or even longer, would fit right into the strategy. How would such a strategy have worked out for an investment into Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASD: REGN)? Today, we examine the outcome of a five year investment into the stock back in 2015.

Start date: 01/20/2015
$10,000

01/20/2015
$9,156

01/16/2020
End date: 01/16/2020
Start price/share: $421.11
End price/share: $385.57
Starting shares: 23.75
Ending shares: 23.75
Dividends reinvested/share: $0.00
Total return: -8.44%
Average annual return: -1.75%
Starting investment: $10,000.00
Ending investment: $9,156.42

The above analysis shows the five year investment result worked out poorly, with an annualized rate of return of -1.75%. This would have turned a $10K investment made 5 years ago into $9,156.42 today (as of 01/16/2020). On a total return basis, that’s a result of -8.44% (something to think about: how might REGN shares perform over the next 5 years?). [These numbers were computed with the Dividend Channel DRIP Returns Calculator.]

One more piece of investment wisdom to leave you with:
“The individual investor should act consistently as an investor and not as a speculator. This means that he should be able to justify every purchase he makes and each price he pays by impersonal, objective reasoning that satisfies him that he is getting more than his money’s worth for his purchase.” — Benjamin Graham