52,000% Profits at Seaboard

A few months ago, I highlighted Seaboard ($SEB) which has been a monster stock for the past few decades. In the mid-1970s, the stock got as low as $5-1/8. Given the current price of $2,660, that makes it close to a 52,000% winner.

Here’s a description from Hoovers:

With pork and turkey from the US, flour from Haiti, and sugar from Argentina, Seaboard has a lot on its plate. The diversified agribusiness and transportation firm has operations in some 40 countries in the Americas, the Caribbean, and Africa. Seaboard sells its pork and poultry in the US and abroad. Overseas it trades grain (wheat, soya), operates power plants and feed and flour mills, and grows and refines sugar cane. Seaboard owns a shipping service for containerized cargo between the US, the Caribbean, and South America; it has shipping terminals in Miami and Houston and a fleet of 40 vessels (12 owned, others chartered) and ships to ports worldwide. Seaboard is run by descendants of founder Otto Bresky.

Despite Seaboard’s amazing performance, the stock isn’t followed by any analysts on Wall Street.

I’ve said before that the first question most investors ask about a stock is “what do they do?” While that is obviously something you want to know, a more important question is, “how well do they do it?” Even companies working in “unfashionable” businesses can be great investments.

Posted by on July 25th, 2011 at 11:12 am


The information in this blog post represents my own opinions and does not contain a recommendation for any particular security or investment. I or my affiliates may hold positions or other interests in securities mentioned in the Blog, please see my Disclaimer page for my full disclaimer.

Tickers: