Alico stock a top performer

Who says agriculture is boring?

It turns out some investors may be quite pleased with Alico's performance last year, a fact that Investor's Business Daily noted in a recent listing of the 100 companies that led the stock market in 2012.

Alico (symbol: ALCO; recent price: $39) shares rose 89% in 2012, benefiting from interest in commodities and rebounding land values.

In the newspaper listing, Alico ranked 52nd of 100 top-performing stocks priced higher than $12 at the beginning of the year.

Based in Fort Myers, Alico owns about 130,400 acres in Collier, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Polk counties. Its agriculture businesses include citrus, sugarcane and cattle. It also receives royalties from rock mining and oil production. For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, net income totaled $18.5 million on revenues of $127.2 million.