The 10 Best Performing Stocks in the Last 25 Years
Published: January 5, 2026 | Analysis by YCharts Research Team
Introduction
Understanding which companies have stood the test of time is invaluable for advisors guiding clients through uncertain markets. That’s why we used the YCharts Stock Screener to identify the best performing stocks across key lookback periods, including year-to-date, 1, 3, 5, 10, and 25 years, across the entire Russell 1000.
Rather than focus solely on recent winners, this analysis reveals which companies consistently rewarded investors over time, whether through capital appreciation, strong fundamentals, or dividend reinvestment. These insights help advisors put short-term volatility in context while positioning for long-term growth.
From 2025’s leaders to the stunning 25-year returns of household names like Monster Beverage and NVIDIA, here’s what advisors need to know about the stocks that delivered year after year.
Click to jump to a section:
- Best-Performing Stocks YTD
- Best-Performing Stocks in the Last Year
- Best-Performing Stocks in the Last 3 Years
- Best-Performing Stocks in the Last 5 Years
- Best-Performing Stocks in the Last 10 Years
- Best-Performing Stocks in the Last 25 Years
- What Was the Growth of $10,000 Over the Last 25 Years?
- How Would Making Regular Contributions Affect Overall Returns?
For a look at the best performers with a dividend focus, check out our analysis on the Best Performing Dividend Stocks.
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Best Performing Stocks YTD
These were the top-performing stocks in 2025, as of December 31st, 2025.
| Ticker | Name | YTD Price Return | YTD Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LITE | Lumentum Holdings, Inc. | 339.06% | 339.06% | $27.38B |
| WDC | Western Digital Corp. | 282.33% | 283.75% | $64.17B |
| AU | Anglogold Ashanti Plc | 269.50% | 288.11% | $43.22B |
| ASTS | AST Spacemobile, Inc. | 244.22% | 244.22% | $23.21B |
| MU | Micron Technology, Inc. | 239.13% | 240.24% | $355.01B |
| MP | MP Materials Corp. | 223.85% | 223.85% | $9.742B |
| HOOD | Robinhood Markets, Inc. | 203.54% | 203.54% | $103.60B |
| CIEN | Ciena Corp. | 175.76% | 175.76% | $34.66B |
| RKLB | Rocket Lab Corp. | 173.89% | 173.89% | $40.59B |
| WBD | Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. | 172.66% | 172.66% | $70.65B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last Year
These are the top-performing stocks between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.
| Ticker | Name | 1Y Price Return | 1Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LITE | Lumentum Holdings, Inc. | 339.06% | 339.06% | $27.38B |
| WDC | Western Digital Corp. | 282.33% | 283.75% | $64.17B |
| AU | Anglogold Ashanti Plc | 269.50% | 288.11% | $43.22B |
| ASTS | AST Spacemobile, Inc. | 244.22% | 244.22% | $23.21B |
| MU | Micron Technology, Inc. | 239.13% | 240.24% | $355.01B |
| MP | MP Materials Corp. | 223.85% | 223.85% | $9.742B |
| HOOD | Robinhood Markets, Inc. | 203.54% | 203.54% | $103.60B |
| CIEN | Ciena Corp. | 175.76% | 175.76% | $34.66B |
| RKLB | Rocket Lab Corp. | 173.89% | 173.89% | $40.59B |
| WBD | Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. | 172.66% | 172.66% | $70.65B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 3 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025.
| Ticker | Name | 3Y Price Return | 3Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVNA | Carvana Co. | 8803.38% | 8803.38% | $56.60B |
| APP | Applovin Corp. | 6299.05% | 6299.05% | $208.96B |
| PLTR | Palantir Technologies, Inc. | 2668.69% | 2668.69% | $400.08B |
| RKLB | Rocket Lab Corp. | 1750.40% | 1750.40% | $40.59B |
| ASTS | AST Spacemobile, Inc. | 1406.85% | 1406.85% | $23.21B |
| HOOD | Robinhood Markets, Inc. | 1289.43% | 1289.43% | $103.60B |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | 1176.17% | 1177.45% | $4.590T |
| VRT | Vertiv Holdings Co. | 1086.02% | 1089.72% | $67.14B |
| FTAI | FTAI Aviation Ltd. | 1049.82% | 1123.42% | $21.58B |
| MSTR | Strategy, Inc. | 973.32% | 973.32% | $45.16B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 5 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2025.
| Ticker | Name | 5Y Price Return | 5Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 1672.29% | 1714.51% | $35.40B |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | 1328.57% | 1332.52% | $4.590T |
| WFRD | Weatherford International plc | 1204.33% | 1234.20% | $5.802B |
| CRS | Carpenter Technology Corp. | 981.18% | 1063.91% | $16.86B |
| FTAI | FTAI Aviation Ltd. | 882.63% | 1072.44% | $21.58B |
| DDS | Dillard's, Inc. | 861.68% | 1140.68% | $9.945B |
| PR | Permian Resources Corp. | 835.33% | 959.59% | $10.73B |
| SMCI | Super Micro Computer, Inc. | 824.51% | 824.51% | $18.48B |
| VRT | Vertiv Holdings Co. | 767.76% | 771.46% | $67.14B |
| VST | Vistra Corp. | 720.60% | 811.64% | $55.98B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 10 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2025.
| Ticker | Name | 10Y Price Return | 10Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | 22533.50% | 23094.60% | $4.590T |
| AMD | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | 7362.02% | 7362.02% | $363.82B |
| CELH | Celsius Holdings, Inc. | 6973.19% | 6973.19% | $12.31B |
| DRS | Leonardo DRS, Inc. | 4701.41% | 4749.22% | $9.252B |
| AXON | Axon Enterprise, Inc. | 3184.73% | 3184.73% | $44.46B |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 3183.92% | 3408.63% | $35.40B |
| TSLA | Tesla, Inc. | 2710.63% | 2710.63% | $1.457T |
| ANET | Arista Networks, Inc. | 2593.32% | 2593.32% | $168.24B |
| AVGO | Broadcom Inc. | 2284.43% | 2976.30% | $1.648T |
| LRCX | Lam Research Corp. | 2055.38% | 2378.53% | $232.44B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 25 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2025.
| Ticker | Name | 25Y Price Return | 25Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MNST | Monster Beverage Corp. | 189597.40% | 189597.40% | $73.84B |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | 136572.09% | 148947.57% | $4.562T |
| AAPL | Apple, Inc. | 102213.01% | 121739.86% | $3.960T |
| BKNG | Booking Holdings, Inc. | 68034.11% | 69143.04% | $175.35B |
| TSCO | Tractor Supply Co. | 46968.24% | 57305.55% | $26.53B |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 43716.43% | 54575.73% | $36.51B |
| ODFL | Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | 37501.02% | 39012.62% | $34.61B |
| TPL | Texas Pacific Land Corp. | 36175.32% | 46127.65% | $20.35B |
| DECK | Deckers Outdoor Corp. | 35443.96% | 35443.96% | $15.85B |
| ISRG | Intuitive Surgical, Inc. | 29883.76% | 29883.76% | $200.65B |
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What Was the Growth of $10,000 Over the Last 25 Years?
If you invested $10,000 25 years ago into any of the ten best-performing stocks over the last 25 years, your balance today would be in the millions of dollars.
The best-performing stock in the last 25 years was Monster Beverage (MNST). A $10,000 investment into Monster Beverage 25 years ago would be worth $19.83 million today. Right behind it is NVIDIA (NVDA); $10,000 invested into NVIDIA at the start of 2001 would’ve turned into $13.67 million today, or $14.90 million after dividend reinvestment.
| Ticker | Name | 25Y Price Growth | 25Y Total Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| MNST | Monster Beverage Corp. | $18.97 million | $19.83 million |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | $13.67 million | $14.90 million |
| AAPL | Apple, Inc. | $10.23 million | $12.18 million |
| TSCO | Tractor Supply Co. | $6.813 million | $6.924 million |
| TPL | Texas Pacific Land Corp. | $4.707 million | $5.741 million |
| DECK | Deckers Outdoor Corp. | $4.382 million | $5.468 million |
| BKNG | Booking Holdings, Inc. | $3.760 million | $3.911 million |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | $3.628 million | $4.623 million |
| ODFL | Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | $3.554 million | $3.554 million |
| CLH | Clean Harbors, Inc. | $2.998 million | $2.998 million |
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How Would Making Regular Contributions Affect Overall Returns?
Using NVIDIA (NVDA), one of the world’s most valuable companies and second-best performer over the last 25 years–as an example, contributing $100 each month since January 2001 would’ve equaled a net total contribution of $30,000, with a total return of $13.63 million.
If the monthly contribution was $250 each month ($75,000 total), the net balance after those 25 years would be $34.07 million today.
Download Visual | Create Your Own Scenarios
Though total returns achieved via monthly contributions over the 25 year time horizon wouldn’t have been as large as an upfront lump-sum investment, tools like Scenarios illustrate the importance of “staying the course” as an equity investment strategy to clients.
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