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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 Incyte Corporation (NASD: INCY)? Today, we examine the outcome of a five year investment into the stock back in 2019.

Start date: 12/18/2019
$10,000

12/18/2019
  $7,611

12/17/2024
End date: 12/17/2024
Start price/share: $91.18
End price/share: $69.40
Starting shares: 109.67
Ending shares: 109.67
Dividends reinvested/share: $0.00
Total return: -23.89%
Average annual return: -5.31%
Starting investment: $10,000.00
Ending investment: $7,611.24

As shown above, the five year investment result worked out poorly, with an annualized rate of return of -5.31%. This would have turned a $10K investment made 5 years ago into $7,611.24 today (as of 12/17/2024). On a total return basis, that’s a result of -23.89% (something to think about: how might INCY shares perform over the next 5 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