The 10 Best Performing Stocks in the Last 25 Years
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 year-to-date 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?
Find more context on 2025’s best performing stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds broken down by month in our May and June Top Market Movers blogs.
YCharts recently sat down with Nick Maggiulli, Chief Operating Officer at Ritholtz Wealth Management, for an exclusive session about a critical decision advisors face when uncertainty looms: does rebalancing now protect clients, or could it hurt long-term performance? We break down exclusive YCharts research on the impact of four different rebalancing strategies and best practices for implementing them at your firm. Watch the webinar with Nick below:
Best Performing Stocks YTD
The best performing stocks of 2025 so far reflect investor conviction in AI, mobile tech, and energy innovation. Robinhood (HOOD) leads the Russell 1000 with a 151.3% return year-to-date, followed by AST SpaceMobile (ASTS), MP Materials (MP), and Avis Budget (CAR). The Russell 1000 overall rose just 5.42% in the same period.
Robinhood’s gains come as retail trading volumes spike and crypto markets roar back. Meanwhile, ASTS surged 121.5% on new telecom deals and satellite deployment milestones. These names exemplify risk-on sentiment and a renewed appetite for speculative growth across retail and institutional investor segments.
MP Materials and Avis both benefited from macro themes: reshoring of critical mineral supply chains and revived travel demand. Palantir (PLTR), up 80%, remains a standout in AI infrastructure, bolstered by government contracts and enterprise expansion. Their performance echoes the long-tail opportunity beyond megacaps like Nvidia and Microsoft.
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Q: What do these gains mean for client portfolios in 2025?
A: With year-to-date standouts concentrated in thematic growth, advisors should reexamine portfolio weightings. YCharts’ tools help assess whether clients are over leveraged in speculative positions, or missing key innovation trends altogether.
Cloudflare (NET), Roblox (RBLX), and Tempus AI (TEM) round out the top ten, reflecting strength in AI-adjacent services, digital consumer platforms, and health tech. This continues 2025’s broader rotation into innovation-oriented sectors, especially those tied to automation, data, and online experiences.
Best Performing Stocks in the Last Year
These are the top-performing stocks between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Over the past 12 months, the best performing stocks in the Russell 1000 surged well beyond market benchmarks. Leading the pack was Rocket Lab USA (RKLB), which soared 645.2% as demand for satellite launch services and government contracts pushed the stock to stratospheric highs.
Close behind was Palantir Technologies (PLTR), returning 438.2% on the back of expanded government deals and enterprise adoption of its AI-driven software. AppLovin (APP) posted a 320.7% gain as mobile advertising rebounded and platform monetization improved.
Robinhood (HOOD) and AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) each returned over 300%, showing investor optimism toward retail trading resurgence and satellite-based 5G expansion, respectively.
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Q: How should advisors respond when speculative stocks dominate performance?
A: Context matters. Use tools like the YCharts Stock Screener to assess whether recent gains reflect fundamentals or speculative euphoria. These workflows help guide client conversations and avoid emotionally driven allocation decisions.
Rounding out the top ten were GE Vernova (GEV), Amer Sports (AS), Strategy (MSTR), Rubrik (RBRK), and Roblox (RBLX), each with returns north of 180%. These leaders spanned energy, consumer discretionary, security software, and gaming, confirming that 2025’s gains weren’t confined to a single sector.
Best Performing Stocks in the Last 3 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2025. Long-term outperformers over the past three years have delivered extraordinary gains, particularly among companies at the cutting edge of software, semiconductors, and industrials. Strategy (MSTR) led the Russell 1000 with a 2,360% return, an average annualized gain of 190.85%, positioning it as one of the best performing stocks across any timeframe.
Summit Therapeutics (SMMT) followed with a 2,030% return (177.11% annualized), likely propelled by major clinical milestones and investor confidence in its drug pipeline. Vertiv Holdings Co (VRT), a data center and power infrastructure specialist, posted 1,460% gains (149.98% annualized), reflecting the ongoing AI-driven demand for infrastructure scale-outs.
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Q: Are triple-digit returns a sign to buy or a reason to pause?
A: Not always. Advisors should combine price return analysis with valuation tools like the YCharts EV/EBITDA chart to assess whether future upside is priced in. Past performance is a signal, but valuation clarity ensures better decision-making.
Other dominant names included Carvana (CVNA), Palantir (PLTR), and Super Micro Computer (SMCI), all of which gained over 1,100% during the period. These stocks benefited from either turnaround stories, AI integration tailwinds, or hardware-driven infrastructure trends.
Rounding out the top ten were Robinhood (HOOD), NVIDIA (NVDA), AppLovin (APP), and Carpenter Technology (CRS), each up 890% or more. These results starkly outpaced the Russell 1000’s 63.57% return, reinforcing the benefits of concentration in high-growth equities.
Best Performing Stocks in the Last 5 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2025. Over a five-year horizon, Strategy Shares (STRY) once again outpaced all competitors with a staggering 3,320% gain, translating to an annualized return of 102.65%. That kind of consistency across multiple timeframes highlights STRY’s standout performance and cements its status among the across long-term charts.
Next came Weatherford International (WFRD), rising 2,450% (91.18% annualized) amid a resurgence in oilfield services and upstream energy activity. GameStop (GME), still benefiting from meme-era momentum, returned 2,150%, or 86.36% annually.
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Q: How can I verify if long-term stock performance is sustainable?
A: Use the YCharts Fundamental Chart to overlay multi-year price returns with valuation metrics like P/E ratio or earnings growth. This reveals whether strong performance aligns with fundamentals or sentiment-driven volatility.
Super Micro Computer (SMCI) delivered 1,630% in total returns, with AI infrastructure demand being a primary catalyst. Meanwhile, NVIDIA (NVDA) climbed 1,560%, confirming its dominance as a leader in AI, semiconductors, and high-performance computing.
Additional top names included Dillard’s (DDS), Antero Resources (AR), Permian Resources (PR), Comfort Systems USA (FIX), and Mr. Cooper Group (COOP), each up over 1,100% during the period.
Best Performing Stocks in the Last 10 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between July 1, 2015 and June 30, 2025. While mega-cap tech often steals the spotlight, the past decade saw unexpected leaders emerge in the best performing stocks club. Freedom Holding Corp (FRHC) topped the list with a 129.7% total return, an impressive 104.8% annualized gain that significantly outpaced the broader index.
NVIDIA (NVDA) was the most recognizable name on the list, gaining 31.3% annually, thanks to its dominance in AI chips, gaming, and data center acceleration. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Celsius Holdings (CELH) also delivered, returning 5.81x and 4.82x respectively, as the chip and energy drink trends both gained strength.
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Q: Are these long-term leaders still investable today?
A: That depends on their current valuation. Advisors can use YCharts’ Stock Screener to filter top-returning names and apply valuation filters (e.g. P/E, PEG) to identify whether strong returns are supported by fundamentals or priced for perfection.
Also notable were Axon Enterprise (AXON) and Strategy Shares (STRY), both with 10-year returns just under 2.4x and annualized growth around 37%. Comfort Systems USA (FIX) and Texas Pacific Land (TPL) continued their rise on infrastructure demand and resource ownership, respectively.
Rounding out the group were Broadcom (AVGO) and Fair Isaac Corp (FICO), both achieving 35%+ annualized growth, reflecting strong software and semiconductor fundamentals. For comparison, the Russell 1000 Index returned 194.6%, or 11.41% annualized, over the same period.
Best Performing Stocks in the Last 25 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between July 1, 2000 and June 30, 2025. Over a 25-year stretch, time separates the extraordinary from the average. Among the best performing stocks, Monster Beverage (MNST) reigns supreme, with a staggering 145.5K% total return, an annualized growth rate of 33.82%. That’s the difference between $10,000 and millions, purely through compounding and holding.
Close behind, NVIDIA (NVDA) delivered a 59,565% return, or 29.13% annually, riding decades of tailwinds from GPUs, data centers, and most recently, AI. Deckers Outdoor (DECK), the maker of HOKA running shoes and UGG boots, delivered 58,066%, proof that brand power can drive long-term alpha.
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Q: Should clients care about performance from 20+ years ago?
A: Yes, but not for stock picking. Use these examples to reinforce the power of compounding and staying invested. Visuals showing long-term CAGR can support behaviorally sound planning conversations with clients.
Other long-term standouts included Old Dominion Freight Line (ODFL) at 37,820%, Texas Pacific Land (TPL) at 36,010%, and Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) at 25,810%, each reflecting dominant economics in logistics, land royalties, and surgical robotics.
Even companies with slower but steady gains, like Tractor Supply (TSCO), Tyler Technologies (TYL), Clean Harbors (CLH), and Apple (AAPL), delivered 20K%+ returns, with annualized growth between 24% and 26%.
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 $14.56 million today. Right behind it is NVIDIA (NVDA); $10,000 invested into NVIDIA back in 2000 would’ve turned into $5.966 million today, or $6.505 million after dividend reinvestment.
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How Would Making Regular Contributions Affect Overall Returns?
Using NVIDIA (NVDA), the world’s most valuable company and second-best performer over the last 25 years–as an example, contributing $100 each month since March 2000 would’ve equaled a net total contribution of $30,000, with a total return of $12.02 million.
If the monthly contribution was $250 each month ($75,000 total), the net balance after those 25 years would be nearly $30 million today.
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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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