Nvidia’s Staggering Growth Dwarfed: Century-Old Stocks Reveal Shocking Market Returns

Nvidia’s Remarkable Growth Overshadowed by Century-Long Stock Market Giants

While Nvidia’s 332,000% increase since its 1999 IPO has made it the best-performing stock of the last two decades, a new study reveals that it fell short of the top performers over the past century. Research conducted by Hendrik Bessembinder, examining over 29,000 US stocks from the last 100 years, has uncovered a group of long-standing market titans that have consistently outperformed their peers.

Bessembinder’s findings paint a complex picture of stock market performance. Despite the overall positive trend, negative returns were more common than gains, with a median return of -7.41%. However, the mean return of 22,840% highlights the significant impact of top performers on overall market growth.

Among the 27 top-performing stocks still trading today, Altria Group leads the pack with a staggering cumulative compound return of 265,528,900.62% over 98 years. This translates to an annualized compound return of 16.29% and an investment growth of $2,655,290 per dollar invested.

Other notable long-term performers include Vulcan Materials, with a 39,349,084.13% cumulative return over 98 years, and General Dynamics, boasting a 22,084,880.36% return over nearly 98 years. Household names such as Boeing, IBM, and Coca-Cola also feature prominently on the list, with returns ranging from 12 million to 21 million percent.

The study highlights the importance of long-term investment strategies, with many top performers showing consistent growth over periods exceeding 90 years. Companies from various sectors, including consumer goods, technology, and industrials, are represented in the top rankings.

While these figures are impressive, Bessembinder cautions that past performance does not guarantee future results. The research serves as a reminder of the potential for long-term growth in the stock market but also underscores the rarity of such exceptional performers.

As investors continue to seek the next market leader, this century-long perspective offers valuable insights into the patterns of sustained stock market success.