“When we own portions of outstanding businesses with outstanding managements, our favorite holding period is forever.”
— Warren Buffett
A long-term investment in Revvity Inc (NYSE: RVTY) illustrates how patient ownership, dividend reinvestment, and compounding can shape total return over time. Using a 20-year holding period beginning in 2006, the results show that a $10,000 investment in Revvity stock would have grown substantially by late August 2026, despite the market volatility that inevitably occurs over such a long horizon.
That distinction matters. Share-price appreciation tells only part of the story. For a complete assessment of long-term equity performance, total return is the more useful measure because it captures both capital gains and cash distributions, including the effect of reinvesting dividends into additional shares.
Revvity 20-Year Return Overview
| Start date: | 08/31/2006 |
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| End date: | 08/28/2026 | ||||
| Start price/share: | $18.43 | ||||
| End price/share: | $128.80 | ||||
| Starting shares: | 542.59 | ||||
| Ending shares: | 617.94 | ||||
| Dividends reinvested/share: | $5.53 | ||||
| Total return: | 695.90% | ||||
| Average annual return: | 10.93% | ||||
| Starting investment: | $10,000.00 | ||||
| Ending investment: | $79,657.58 | ||||
Based on those figures, a $10,000 investment in Revvity made on 08/31/2006 would have grown to $79,657.58 as of 08/28/2026, assuming dividends were reinvested. That equates to a total return of 695.90% and an average annual return of 10.93%. These numbers were computed using the Dividend Channel DRIP Returns Calculator.
What Drove the Return
Over this period, Revvity’s return came from two sources:
- Share-price appreciation, with the stock rising from $18.43 to $128.80.
- Dividend income, with $5.53 per share paid over the period and reinvested into additional shares.
The effect of reinvestment is visible in the share count. The original $10,000 purchased 542.59 shares, but the ending share total rose to 617.94. That increase did not come from additional capital contributions; it came from dividends being used to buy more stock over time. Even for a company with a modest yield, that incremental share accumulation can make a meaningful difference across two decades.
Dividend Reinvestment and Yield on Cost
Revvity is not typically viewed as a high-yield stock. Based on the most recent annualized dividend rate of $0.28 per share, the current yield is approximately 0.22% using the $128.80 ending share price in this analysis. On its face, that is a limited income stream relative to higher-yielding equities.
However, a long holding period changes the lens. Measured against the original purchase price of $18.43, that same $0.28 annualized dividend represents a yield on cost of roughly 1.52%. Yield on cost does not measure current market opportunity, but it does help illustrate how an income stream can look different when evaluated against an investor’s original basis rather than today’s share price.
Why Total Return Matters More Than Price Alone
For long-term stock analysis, total return is generally the cleanest performance measure because it incorporates the full economic benefit of ownership. Looking only at the change in share price would understate the outcome in cases where dividends were paid and reinvested. Looking only at dividend yield would miss the much larger contribution from capital appreciation.
This is especially relevant when evaluating businesses that combine moderate distributions with steady compounding. In those cases, the dividend may not appear especially significant in any single year, but the cumulative effect can still add value when the holding period stretches into decades.
Key Takeaways From This Revvity Investment Example
- A $10,000 investment in RVTY in 2006 grew to $79,657.58 by 08/28/2026.
- The total return was 695.90%, or 10.93% annualized.
- Dividend reinvestment increased the share count from 542.59 to 617.94.
- Revvity’s long-term result reflects both stock-price appreciation and cash dividends.
“We don’t have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest.” — Warren Buffett
