Getting Back to Even Costs Opportunity

Well, it only took 10 years. That's right, 10 years ago I told people about a company called UFP Technologies (UFPT - commentary - Cramer's Take), which makes environmentally friendly packaging. My wife had taken down a slug of the stock, despite its micro-cap stature -- it's something that should have been a small, speculative position, that's all -- from when she worked with me at the hedge fund. The Trading Goddess is an environmentalist through and through and she felt that packaging was the enemy.

She took down 5% of the company, she liked it so much.

Today, 10 years later, it's back to where she first bought it. (She finally sold it a few years ago.) The company finally, after 10 long years, reported a decent quarter.

I guess I should be celebrating.

Instead, I am shaking my head. The lost opportunity cost in this name is nothing short of astounding. The incredible inability of this company to do well over such a long stretch is just mind-boggling.

And the ill will it generated -- I happened to have recommended it in SmartMoney 10 years ago -- isn't worth the breakeven that it finally has gotten to.

If you own a stock and you hope it will get back to even some day, think of UFP Tech and think of how many other stocks you might have bought in the interim that could have made you much more money if you had sold and redeployed the capital.

Sobering.

Random musings: Dell (DELL - commentary - Cramer's Take)? Who cares?!?

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Please note that due to factors including low market capitalization and/or insufficient public float, we consider UFP Technologies to be a small-cap stock. You should be aware that such stocks are subject to more risk than stocks of larger companies, including greater volatility, lower liquidity and less publicly available information, and that postings such as this one can have an effect on their stock prices.

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James J. Cramer is a director and co-founder of TheStreet.com. He contributes daily market commentary for TheStreet.com's sites and serves as an adviser to the company's CEO. Outside contributing columnists for TheStreet.com and RealMoney.com, including Cramer, may, from time to time, write about stocks in which they have a position. In such cases, appropriate disclosure is made. To see his personal portfolio and find out what trades Cramer will make before he makes them, sign up for Action Alerts PLUS by clicking here. While he cannot provide personalized investment advice or recommendations, he invites you to send comments on his column to [e-mail]. Listen to Cramer's RealMoney Radio show on your computer; just click here. Watch Cramer on "Mad Money" at 6 p.m. ET weeknights on CNBC. Click here to order Cramer's latest book, "Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World," click here to get his second book, "You Got Screwed!" and click here to order Cramer's autobiography, "Confessions of a Street Addict."