I have owned Dover stock for 8 years now. This company has had its ups and downs since “dot-com” in 2002 but between 2003 and 2008 used a renewed growth and expansion policy to better withstand periods of recession and strive to nevertheless be considered as a very profitable conglomerate. During this period, Dover continued to invest in companies that make final industrial and commercial products that continually have a strong market demand.

Dover now invests in such companies that make gears and small industrial tools, lasers, hearing aids, pumps and valves (for infinitesimal uses), automatic teller machines, and technological components for automotive and truck engines, oil drilling and gas distribution, brakes and hydraulic presses, etc.

Dover continues to invest in companies that are number 1 or 2 in their industrial niche’ (amongst all product lines) which is partly reflected in moving from its de-emphasizing its investment in the more capital intensive for the specialized "must have" industrial parts type companies. Each company is owned and managed by a separate board of directors, but is subject to being made available for sale if Dover feels that the given company is no longer a profitable entity. Such is how the company gained the nickname “Dover Diversified”.

Dover’s stock price has gone up quite a bit lately into the middle '30's over the past several weeks, while the rest of the industrial and other sectors behave somewhat jittery. I would not recommend purchasing additional shares because I think Dover’s stock price could move up to the middle to high thirties for a while, but it might be optimistic to expect it to reach up to the fifties price range by 2010 like I have read some analyst believe. On the other hand, I don't think that Dover can attribute its recent improved stock value to the ludicrous terminology called “Dover Metrics” that has been bandied about by 25 board writers in the message column. In the first place, no one seems to have provided a very clear definition of “DM’s”. In my opinion, Dover will continue to make gradual profitable results across all companies until the current national recession starts to become resolved. Instead, the most plausible application of the DM term seems to be is for Dover company officials to advertise their individual company’s success in being able to gain admission to the coveted Dover 40 group.

I look for Dover to eventually reach the middle 50's range and if the country sees a major recovery in the next few years, perhaps Dover can double in its stock prices. I further note that Dover is a much better known company than in previous years and that this is reflected in the far greater volume of daily investment activity.