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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

One of the most important things investors can learn from Warren Buffett, is about how they approach their time horizon for an investment into a stock under consideration. Because immediately after buying shares of a given stock, investors will then be able to check on the day-to-day (and even minute-by-minute) market value. Some days the stock market will be up, other days down. These daily fluctuations can often distract from the long-term view. Today, we look at the result of a five year holding period for an investor who was considering Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (NYSE: CMG) back in 2017, bought the stock, ignored the market’s ups and downs, and simply held through to today.

Start date: 12/20/2017
$10,000

12/20/2017
  $47,370

12/19/2022
End date: 12/19/2022
Start price/share: $298.67
End price/share: $1,414.98
Starting shares: 33.48
Ending shares: 33.48
Dividends reinvested/share: $0.00
Total return: 373.76%
Average annual return: 36.49%
Starting investment: $10,000.00
Ending investment: $47,370.09

The above analysis shows the five year investment result worked out exceptionally well, with an annualized rate of return of 36.49%. This would have turned a $10K investment made 5 years ago into $47,370.09 today (as of 12/19/2022). On a total return basis, that’s a result of 373.76% (something to think about: how might CMG 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