The 10 Best Performing Stocks in the Last 25 Years
Published: September 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.
Best Performing Stocks YTD
These are the top-performing stocks year-to-date in 2026, as of August 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | YTD Price Return | YTD Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNDK | Sandisk Corp. | 560.00% | 560.00% | 228.74B |
| MRNA | Moderna, Inc. | 375.89% | 375.89% | 56.00B |
| DELL | Dell Technologies, Inc. | 262.26% | 265.62% | 295.95B |
| MU | Micron Technology, Inc. | 235.91% | 236.12% | 1.082T |
| CORT | Corcept Therapeutics, Inc. | 225.72% | 225.72% | 12.23B |
| AAOI | Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. | 208.92% | 208.92% | 9.088B |
| IRDM | Iridium Communications, Inc. | 170.31% | 172.83% | 4.978B |
| WDC | Western Digital Corp. | 161.54% | 161.74% | 162.65B |
| RVMD | Revolution Medicines, Inc. | 158.09% | 158.09% | 44.04B |
| MRVL | Marvell Technology, Inc. | 149.07% | 149.43% | 185.58B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last Year
These are the top-performing stocks between September 1, 2025 and August 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | 1Y Price Return | 1Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNDK | Sandisk Corp. | 2885.90% | 2885.90% | 228.74B |
| MU | Micron Technology, Inc. | 705.59% | 706.89% | 1.082T |
| LITE | Lumentum Holdings, Inc. | 588.77% | 588.77% | 81.05B |
| MRNA | Moderna, Inc. | 482.57% | 482.57% | 56.00B |
| WDC | Western Digital Corp. | 460.80% | 462.30% | 162.65B |
| RVMD | Revolution Medicines, Inc. | 441.40% | 441.40% | 44.04B |
| AAOI | Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. | 345.00% | 345.00% | 9.088B |
| CIEN | Ciena Corp. | 307.36% | 307.36% | 54.20B |
| ALM | Almonty Industries, Inc. | 300.00% | 300.00% | 5.128B |
| BE | Bloom Energy Corp. | 289.69% | 289.69% | 60.52B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 3 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between September 1, 2023 and August 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | 3Y Price Return | 3Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALM | Almonty Industries, Inc. | 3132.54% | 3132.54% | 5.128B |
| LITE | Lumentum Holdings, Inc. | 1589.93% | 1589.93% | 81.05B |
| ASTS | AST SpaceMobile, Inc. | 1407.65% | 1407.65% | 17.71B |
| BE | Bloom Energy Corp. | 1276.25% | 1276.25% | 60.52B |
| CRDO | Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd. | 1274.18% | 1274.18% | 41.94B |
| MU | Micron Technology, Inc. | 1270.79% | 1286.24% | 1.082T |
| WDC | Western Digital Corp. | 1225.03% | 1230.99% | 162.65B |
| AUGO | Aura Minerals, Inc. | 1147.09% | 1244.66% | 7.007B |
| PLTR | Palantir Technologies, Inc. | 1144.19% | 1144.19% | 446.78B |
| RKLB | Rocket Lab Corp. | 913.00% | 913.00% | 38.24B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 5 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between September 1, 2021 and August 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | 5Y Price Return | 5Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWL | Powell Industries, Inc. | 2031.19% | 2207.92% | 6.548B |
| STRL | Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. | 1938.46% | 1938.46% | 14.42B |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 1934.25% | 1976.39% | 54.41B |
| ALM | Almonty Industries, Inc. | 1421.37% | 1421.37% | 5.128B |
| AAOI | Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. | 1369.17% | 1369.17% | 9.088B |
| MOD | Modine Manufacturing Co. | 1334.32% | 1334.32% | 9.475B |
| CRS | Carpenter Technology Corp. | 1328.55% | 1413.65% | 23.63B |
| MU | Micron Technology, Inc. | 1200.85% | 1234.25% | 1.082T |
| IESC | IES Holdings, Inc. | 1139.26% | 1139.26% | 12.07B |
| FTI | TechnipFMC plc | 1078.73% | 1103.42% | 30.70B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 10 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between September 1, 2016 and August 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | 10Y Price Return | 10Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUGO | Aura Minerals, Inc. | 84609.17% | 108367.10% | 7.007B |
| APLD | Applied Digital Corp. | 30150.00% | 30150.00% | 7.315B |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | 14297.13% | 14553.73% | 5.331T |
| STRL | Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. | 7187.91% | 7187.91% | 14.42B |
| AMD | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | 6261.08% | 6261.08% | 768.22B |
| MU | Micron Technology, Inc. | 5714.01% | 5863.24% | 1.082T |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 5344.24% | 5685.40% | 54.41B |
| MDGL | Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 4579.64% | 4579.64% | 12.47B |
| ALM | Almonty Industries, Inc. | 4535.42% | 4535.42% | 5.128B |
| CELH | Celsius Holdings, Inc. | 4480.09% | 4480.09% | 7.968B |
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Best Performing Stocks in the Last 25 Years
These are the top-performing stocks between September 1, 2001 and August 31, 2026.
| Ticker | Name | 25Y Price Return | 25Y Total Return | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MNST | Monster Beverage Corp. | 227136.74% | 227136.74% | 89.15B |
| AAPL | Apple, Inc. | 95552.83% | 114121.60% | 4.738T |
| AXON | Axon Enterprise, Inc. | 79884.98% | 79884.98% | 42.19B |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | 62451.35% | 68196.96% | 5.283T |
| AMZN | Amazon.com, Inc. | 58014.09% | 58014.09% | 2.750T |
| TPL | Texas Pacific Land Corp. | 44346.71% | 55763.66% | 25.46B |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 43934.76% | 54928.96% | 54.28B |
| ODFL | Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | 37956.30% | 39588.01% | 39.82B |
| STRL | Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. | 37505.60% | 37505.60% | 14.17B |
| DECK | Deckers Outdoor Corp. | 35523.70% | 35523.70% | 11.67B |
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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 $22.72 million today. Right behind it is Apple (AAPL); $10,000 invested into AAPL in 2001 would’ve turned into $9.565 million today, or $11.42 million after dividend reinvestment.
| Ticker | Name | 25Y Price Growth | 25Y Total Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| MNST | Monster Beverage Corp. | $22.72 million | $22.72 million |
| AAPL | Apple, Inc. | $9.565 million | $11.42 million |
| AXON | Axon Enterprise, Inc. | $7.998 million | $7.998 million |
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp. | $6.255 million | $6.830 million |
| AMZN | Amazon.com, Inc. | $5.811 million | $5.811 million |
| TPL | Texas Pacific Land Corp. | $4.445 million | $5.586 million |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | $4.403 million | $5.503 million |
| ODFL | Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | $3.806 million | $3.969 million |
| STRL | Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. | $3.761 million | $3.761 million |
| DECK | Deckers Outdoor Corp. | $3.562 million | $3.562 million |
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How Would Making Regular Contributions Affect Overall Returns?
Using NVIDIA (NVDA)–the world’s most valuable company and fourth-best performer over the last 25 years–as an example, contributing $100 each month since September 2001 would’ve equaled a net total contribution of $30,000, with a total return of $15.38 million.
If the monthly contribution was $250 each month ($75,000 total), the net balance after those 25 years would be $38.44 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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