Best S&P 500 Stocks by 10-Year Returns
Which stocks have compounded the most over the past decade?
Top 10 by 10-Year Total Return
Returns shown are total returns from 10 years ago to today. CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) shows the annualized return.
Top 25 S&P 500 Stocks by 10-Year Returns
These stocks have delivered the highest total returns over the past decade. A $1,000 investment in the top performer would be worth $123,504.15 today.
| Rank | Stock | Sector | 10Y Return | CAGR | $1K → Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NVDA NVIDIA Corporation | Technology | +12250.4% | +61.9% | $123,504.15 |
| 2 | AMD Advanced Micro | Technology | +7642.3% | +54.5% | $77,423.31 |
| 3 | MU Micron Technology, | Technology | +5256.8% | +48.9% | $53,567.95 |
| 4 | DELL Dell Technologies | Technology | +3428.0% | +42.8% | $35,279.84 |
| 5 | ANET Arista Networks, | Technology | +3132.5% | +41.6% | $32,325.44 |
| 6 | TSLA Tesla, Inc. | Consumer Cyclical | +2897.2% | +40.5% | $29,972.26 |
| 7 | LRCX Lam Research | Technology | +2698.6% | +39.5% | $27,986.43 |
| 8 | STX Seagate Technology | Technology | +2685.7% | +39.5% | $27,856.96 |
| 9 | KLAC KLA Corporation | Technology | +2411.9% | +38.0% | $25,118.71 |
| 10 | AVGO Broadcom Inc. | Technology | +2357.0% | +37.7% | $24,569.88 |
| 11 | PWR Quanta Services, | Industrials | +2139.7% | +36.5% | $22,396.58 |
| 12 | FTNT Fortinet, Inc. | Technology | +2039.6% | +35.8% | $21,396.23 |
| 13 | LLY Eli Lilly | Healthcare | +2018.5% | +35.7% | $21,184.73 |
| 14 | AXON Axon Enterprise, | Industrials | +1743.8% | +33.8% | $18,438.36 |
| 15 | MPWR Monolithic Power | Technology | +1592.8% | +32.7% | $16,927.89 |
| 16 | MRVL Marvell Technology, | Technology | +1530.9% | +32.2% | $16,309.41 |
| 17 | SMCI Super Micro | Technology | +1435.4% | +31.4% | $15,354.15 |
| 18 | URI United Rentals, | Industrials | +1435.0% | +31.4% | $15,350.05 |
| 19 | AMAT Applied Materials, | Technology | +1426.6% | +31.3% | $15,265.81 |
| 20 | PANW Palo Alto | Technology | +1361.8% | +30.8% | $14,618.23 |
| 21 | MPC Marathon Petroleum | Energy | +1259.7% | +29.8% | $13,596.95 |
| 22 | TER Teradyne, Inc. | Technology | +1251.8% | +29.7% | $13,517.55 |
| 23 | JBL Jabil Inc. | Technology | +1245.1% | +29.7% | $13,451.1 |
| 24 | AAPL Apple Inc. | Technology | +1192.5% | +29.2% | $12,924.56 |
| 25 | CDNS Cadence Design | Technology | +1175.3% | +29.0% | $12,753.4 |
Which Sectors Dominate the Top 25?
Key Insight
Technology dominates the top 25 with 19 stocks (76% of top performers). This reflects the sector's strong growth driven by AI, cloud computing, and digital transformation.
Understanding 10-Year Stock Returns
The 10-year return is one of the most important metrics for evaluating long-term stock performance. It captures multiple market cycles, including bull and bear markets, and reveals which companies have sustainable competitive advantages.
What these returns mean: A +12250.4% return means $1,000 invested 10 years ago in NVDA would be worth $123,504.15 today. The CAGR of +61.9% shows the equivalent annual return you would have earned.
Context matters: The S&P 500 index has historically returned about 10% annually. Stocks in this top 25 list have significantly outperformed the market, but past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Many top performers benefit from timing—being in the right sector at the right time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which S&P 500 stocks have the best 10-year returns?
NVDA leads with a total return of +12250.4% over 10 years, turning $1,000 into $123,504.15. The top 10 are dominated by Technology stocks that benefited from secular growth trends like cloud computing and AI.
What is a good 10-year return for a stock?
The S&P 500 index has historically returned about 10% annually, so a 10-year return above +214.9% (the current median) is considered above average. The top 25 stocks in our analysis all returned over +1175.3%, significantly outperforming the index.
Do past returns predict future stock performance?
Academic research consistently shows that past returns are not reliable predictors of future performance. While companies with strong competitive advantages may continue to outperform, many top performers eventually revert to the mean as growth slows or valuations become stretched.
How does stock picking compare to index investing over 10 years?
While the top performers delivered extraordinary returns, most individual stocks actually underperform the index over long periods. Studies show that fewer than 25% of stocks beat the S&P 500 over a 10-year period. This is why broad index funds remain the recommended approach for most investors.