A lot of people much smarter than myself have tackled this topic, spent lifetimes researching it, and written volumes on the subject. I am not going to break any new ground. Rather, I simply want to share my starting point - a list of the top performing stocks over the last 30, 25, and 20 years (criteria: end date of 12/31/2013, traded on a U.S. exchange, ending market cap greater than $2 billion).
By going through some old Value Line manuals, I've been able to step back in “real” time and see what was happening and how the company was performing before it began its phenomenal run. It has been an enlightening experience (hint: as Buffett/Greenblatt/(insert other great value investor) has said, ROIC really is important).
Hopefully you too can get some use out of the list. If you have thoughts or ideas on what made these companies great, or want to discuss them in more detail, please feel free to email (email on the right).
Harvest Investor © 2014. All rights reserved. The content and ideas contained in this blog represents only the opinions of the author. The content in no way constitutes investment advice, and should never be relied on in making an investment decision, ever. No content shall be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security or financial instrument, or to participate in any particular trading or investment strategy. The author may hold positions in the securities and companies mentioned on this site. Any position disclosed on this site may be modified or reversed without notice to you. The content herein is intended solely for the entertainment of the reader, and the author.
Rank
|
30 Yrs.
|
Ann. Return
|
25 Yrs.
|
Ann. Return
|
20 Yrs.
|
Ann. Return
|
1
|
Amgen Inc.
|
25.20%
|
Brown & Brown
|
27.10%
|
Monster Bev
|
35.40%
|
2
|
Danaher Corp.
|
23.70%
|
Drew Industries
|
25.30%
|
USANA Health
|
33.80%
|
3
|
Kansas City Sthrn
|
22.70%
|
Kansas City Sthrn
|
24.50%
|
Biogen Idec Inc.
|
33.80%
|
4
|
HollyFrontier Co.
|
21.70%
|
UnitedHealth Grp
|
24.00%
|
Keurig Gr Mtn
|
33.60%
|
5
|
Paychex Inc.
|
21.20%
|
Jack Henry
|
23.40%
|
Celgene Corp.
|
33.00%
|
6
|
The Gap Inc.
|
21.10%
|
Polaris Industries
|
22.10%
|
Gilead Sciences
|
31.20%
|
7
|
Nike Inc.
|
20.60%
|
Micros Systems
|
21.70%
|
Middleby Corp.
|
30.20%
|
8
|
Altria Group
|
20.30%
|
Balchem Crop.
|
20.50%
|
Astronics Corp.
|
28.90%
|
9
|
Precision Castparts
|
20.30%
|
EMC Corp.
|
20.20%
|
Cooper Comp.
|
28.20%
|
10
|
Stryker Corp.
|
20.20%
|
Charles Schwab
|
20.00%
|
Balchem Corp.
|
27.30%
|
Data: Bloomberg
Harvest Investor © 2014. All rights reserved. The content and ideas contained in this blog represents only the opinions of the author. The content in no way constitutes investment advice, and should never be relied on in making an investment decision, ever. No content shall be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any security or financial instrument, or to participate in any particular trading or investment strategy. The author may hold positions in the securities and companies mentioned on this site. Any position disclosed on this site may be modified or reversed without notice to you. The content herein is intended solely for the entertainment of the reader, and the author.
