The 10 Best Performing Stocks in the Last 25 Years
Published: April 1, 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 2026’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 are the top-performing stocks year-to-date in 2026, as of March 31st, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | YTD Price Return | YTD Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNDK | Sandisk Corp. | 167.65% | 167.65% | $93.76B |
| LITE | Lumentum Holdings, Inc. | 90.66% | 90.66% | $50.18B |
| LYB | LyondellBasell Industries NV | 86.05% | 88.27% | $25.95B |
| DOW | Dow, Inc. | 78.14% | 80.17% | $29.89B |
| APA | APA Corp. | 73.51% | 75.21% | $14.99B |
| MRNA | Moderna, Inc. | 72.26% | 72.26% | $20.15B |
| DAR | Darling Ingredients, Inc. | 71.81% | 71.81% | $9.810B |
| CF | CF Industries Holdings, Inc. | 67.88% | 68.77% | $19.95B |
| CIEN | Ciena Corp. | 66.00% | 66.00% | $54.90B |
| TPL | Texas Pacific Land Corp. | 65.23% | 65.41% | $32.72B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last Year
These are the top-performing stocks between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | 1Y Price Return | 1Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNDK | Sandisk Corp. | 1234.47% | 1234.47% | $93.76B |
| LITE | Lumentum Holdings, Inc. | 1027.30% | 1027.30% | $50.18B |
| WDC | Western Digital Corp. | 569.03% | 571.85% | $91.71B |
| CIEN | Ciena Corp. | 542.45% | 542.45% | $54.90B |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 327.82% | 329.06% | $48.51B |
| MU | Micron Technology, Inc. | 288.81% | 289.76% | $380.99B |
| COHR | Coherent Corp. | 266.82% | 266.82% | $44.66B |
| ASTS | AST Spacemobile, Inc. | 264.42% | 264.42% | $24.25B |
| RKLB | Rocket Lab Corp. | 259.17% | 259.17% | $36.57B |
| TER | Teradyne, Inc. | 258.91% | 260.22% | $46.41B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 3 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | 3Y Price Return | 3Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVNA | Carvana Co. | 3111.24% | 3111.24% | $44.95B |
| APP | Applovin Corp. | 2426.98% | 2426.98% | $134.24B |
| VRT | Vertiv Holdings Co. | 1651.08% | 1656.96% | $95.87B |
| PLTR | Palantir Technologies, Inc. | 1631.12% | 1631.12% | $349.85B |
| ASTS | AST Spacemobile, Inc. | 1531.30% | 1531.30% | $24.25B |
| RKLB | Rocket Lab Corp. | 1489.60% | 1489.60% | $36.57B |
| LITE | Lumentum Holdings, Inc. | 1201.17% | 1201.17% | $50.18B |
| SMMT | Summit Therapeutics, Inc. | 983.43% | 983.43% | $14.70B |
| INSM | Insmed, Inc. | 859.06% | 859.06% | $35.25B |
| WDC | Western Digital Corp. | 850.28% | 854.27% | $91.71B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 5 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | 5Y Price Return | 5Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 1744.31% | 1786.36% | $48.51B |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | 1206.54% | 1209.80% | $4.238T |
| VRT | Vertiv Holdings Co. | 1152.90% | 1158.55% | $95.87B |
| FTAI | FTAI Aviation Ltd. | 917.78% | 1103.81% | $25.13B |
| CRS | Carpenter Technology Corp. | 857.84% | 925.16% | $19.63B |
| FTI | TechnipFMC plc | 795.47% | 813.02% | $27.66B |
| VST | Vistra Corp. | 750.28% | 838.32% | $50.89B |
| TRGP | Targa Resources Corp. | 689.70% | 773.41% | $53.89B |
| LITE | Lumentum Holdings, Inc. | 669.30% | 669.30% | $50.18B |
| WFRD | Weatherford International plc | 642.39% | 661.37% | $6.783B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 10 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | 10Y Price Return | 10Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | 19479.01% | 19892.15% | $4.238T |
| AMD | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | 7037.89% | 7037.89% | $331.66B |
| DRS | Leonardo DRS, Inc. | 5478.95% | 5545.44% | $11.84B |
| CELH | Celsius Holdings, Inc. | 4760.27% | 4760.27% | $9.118B |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 4240.54% | 4530.15% | $48.51B |
| MU | Micron Technology, Inc. | 3126.74% | 3209.06% | $380.99B |
| ANET | Arista Networks, Inc. | 3013.28% | 3013.28% | $154.28B |
| TPL | Texas Pacific Land Corp. | 2835.22% | 3170.39% | $32.72B |
| FTAI | FTAI Aviation Ltd. | 2783.55% | 5229.13% | $25.13B |
| LITE | Lumentum Holdings, Inc. | 2505.71% | 2505.71% | $50.18B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 25 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between April 1, 2001 and March 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | 25Y Price Return | 25Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MNST | Monster Beverage Corp. | 205705.50% | 205705.50% | $71.42B |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | 64383.21% | 70225.86% | $4.283T |
| AAPL | Apple, Inc. | 64296.22% | 76659.07% | $3.745T |
| TPL | Texas Pacific Land Corp. | 59220.00% | 74336.13% | $30.49B |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 56415.98% | 70461.28% | $51.21B |
| DECK | Deckers Outdoor Corp. | 51374.97% | 51374.97% | $14.64B |
| ODFL | Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | 44414.61% | 46266.27% | $41.68B |
| ISRG | Intuitive Surgical, Inc. | 42409.34% | 42409.34% | $165.95B |
| AMZN | Amazon.com, Inc. | 40617.50% | 40617.50% | $2.280T |
| BKNG | Booking Holdings, Inc. | 27636.02% | 28152.49% | $133.82B |
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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 $20.58 million today. Right behind it is NVIDIA (NVDA); $10,000 invested into NVIDIA in 2001 would’ve turned into $6.448 million today, or $7.033 million after dividend reinvestment.
| Ticker | Name | 25Y Price Growth | 25Y Total Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| MNST | Monster Beverage Corp. | $20.58 million | $20.58 million |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | $6.448 million | $7.033 million |
| AAPL | Apple, Inc. | $6.440 million | $7.676 million |
| TPL | Texas Pacific Land Corp. | $5.932 million | $7.444 million |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | $5.652 million | $7.056 million |
| DECK | Deckers Outdoor Corp. | $5.147 million | $5.147 million |
| ODFL | Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | $4.451 million | $4.637 million |
| AMZN | Amazon.com, Inc. | $4.251 million | $4.251 million |
| ISRG | Intuitive Surgical, Inc. | $4.072 million | $4.072 million |
| TSCO | Tractor Supply Co. | $2.774 million | $2.825 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 April 2001 would’ve equaled a net total contribution of $30,000, with a total return of $12.42 million.
If the monthly contribution was $250 each month ($75,000 total), the net balance after those 25 years would be $31 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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