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“When we own portions of outstanding businesses with outstanding managements, our favorite holding period is forever.”

— 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 two-decade 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 Akamai Technologies Inc (NASD: AKAM) back in 2004, holding through to today.

Start date: 11/08/2004
$10,000

11/08/2004
  $81,129

11/06/2024
End date: 11/06/2024
Start price/share: $12.91
End price/share: $104.71
Starting shares: 774.59
Ending shares: 774.59
Dividends reinvested/share: $0.00
Total return: 711.08%
Average annual return: 11.03%
Starting investment: $10,000.00
Ending investment: $81,129.78

As shown above, the two-decade investment result worked out quite well, with an annualized rate of return of 11.03%. This would have turned a $10K investment made 20 years ago into $81,129.78 today (as of 11/06/2024). On a total return basis, that’s a result of 711.08% (something to think about: how might AKAM shares perform over the next 20 years?). [These numbers were computed with the Dividend Channel DRIP Returns Calculator.]

More investment wisdom to ponder:
“We don’t have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest.” — Warren Buffett