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“Only buy something that you’d be perfectly happy to hold if the market shut down for 10 years.”

— Warren Buffett

The investment philosophy practiced by Warren Buffett calls for investors to take a long-term horizon when making an investment, such as a ten year holding period (or even longer), and reconsider making the investment in the first place if unable to envision holding the stock for at least five years. Today, we look at how such a long-term strategy would have done for investors in Discovery Inc (NASD: DISCA) back in 2011, holding through to today.

Start date: 11/29/2011
$10,000

11/29/2011
$12,011

11/26/2021
End date: 11/26/2021
Start price/share: $20.57
End price/share: $24.72
Starting shares: 486.14
Ending shares: 486.14
Dividends reinvested/share: $0.00
Total return: 20.18%
Average annual return: 1.85%
Starting investment: $10,000.00
Ending investment: $12,011.86

The above analysis shows the ten year investment result worked out as follows, with an annualized rate of return of 1.85%. This would have turned a $10K investment made 10 years ago into $12,011.86 today (as of 11/26/2021). On a total return basis, that’s a result of 20.18% (something to think about: how might DISCA shares perform over the next 10 years?). [These numbers were computed with the Dividend Channel DRIP Returns Calculator.]

One more investment quote to leave you with:
“There’s a virtuous cycle when people have to defend challenges to their ideas. Any gaps in thinking or analysis become clear pretty quickly when smart people ask good, logical questions.” — Joel Greenblatt