What $1,000 Invested in Stocks 10 Years Ago Would Be Worth Today
A decade ago, the global economy was starting to recover and the stage was being set for one of the longest continuous stretches of economic growth in American history. Then in early 2020, the coronavirus brought it all to a screeching halt. The stock market now has largely rebounded — the S&P 500, in fact, is around 3,400, almost exactly where it was when the market cratered in late February.
To look into the stock market growth, GOBankingRates researched historical prices to see what $1,000 invested in your favorite companies in 2010 would be worth 10 years later, as well as what the compound annual growth rate is to give you a sense of what the yearly return for each has been over time. Learn which companies have produced impressive growth rates.
Last updated: Oct. 7, 2020
Walt Disney Co. (DIS): $4,220.04
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $29.04
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $122.55
Compound annual growth rate: 15.49%
Disney’s stock prices were soaring above $150 per share just before the COVID-19 crisis made that same share worth less than $86. The company’s famous theme parks were devastated by the pandemic, but its digital division — which benefited from the launch of Disney+ — served as a hedge to those losses.
Netflix (NFLX): $22,773.20
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $22.09
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $503.06
Compound annual growth rate: 36.69%
In terms of stock prices, the pandemic has been kind to Netflix — presumably because it’s forced millions of people to spend way more time at home watching Netflix. By 2010, Netflix had shed its skin as a mail-order DVD movie subscription alternative and was positioning itself as a decade-dominating media giant.
Alphabet (GOOGL): $5,559.33
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $261.83
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $1,455.60
Compound annual growth rate: 18.71%
During the last 10 years, Google got so big that it had to restructure and create a parent company called Alphabet to serve as an umbrella over Google and its many subsidiaries.
Apple (AAPL): $12,961.01
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $8.72
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $113.02
Compound annual growth rate: 29.2%
Apple is a consumer goods giant that rode the smartphone revolution to its status as one of the most valuable companies in the world, with a valuation that has cleared $1 trillion in the recent past.
Coca-Cola Company (KO): $2,392.63
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $20.63
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $49.36
Compound annual growth rate: 9.12%
Coke is an iconic brand and one of Warren Buffett’s favorite investments. However, the declining popularity of sugary soda drinks might be eating into the company’s profitability over the long run.
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Walmart (WMT): $3,377.40
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $41.60
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $140.50
Compound annual growth rate: 12.94%
Walmart is the world’s biggest retailer, but unlike so many retailers that were struggling to compete with Amazon and the rest even before the pandemic, Walmart has adapted well and stayed profitable.
Transocean Ltd. (RIG): $15.63
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $51.17
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $0.80
Compound annual growth rate: -34.02%
It turns out being associated with one of the most catastrophic oil spills in history can have a negative effect on your shares. Thanks largely to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident, Transocean managed to whittle a $1,000 investment down to less than $20 in just 10 years.
Trex Company Inc. (TREX): $30,217.21
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $2.44
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $73.73
Compound annual growth rate: 40.61%
Trex Company makes wood/plastic composites used in outdoor decks — which, apparently, is a pretty great business to be in as the company has been growing at over 40% a year for the last decade. 2017 was the best year for Trex stock until 2020 — the company’s shareholders are riding high today.
Microsoft (MSFT): $10,672.36
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $19.32
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $206.19
Compound annual growth rate: 26.71%
Microsoft’s stock has performed quite well over the past few years, but that pales in contrast to its performance during the 1990s when it helped create a number of “Microsoft millionaires.” These days, it’s still considered one of the safest stocks you can invest in — especially for first-time investors.
Nike (NKE): $8,250.16
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $15.35
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $126.64
Compound annual growth rate: 23.49%
Nike continues to be an innovator and leader in the sports apparel and equipment industry. By sponsoring a number of high-profile athletes and teams, the Nike symbol is one of the most recognizable corporate logos in the world.
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General Electric (GE): $551.81
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $11.58
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $6.39
Compound annual growth rate: -5.77%
General Electric recovered nicely coming out of the Great Recession, but major missteps in 2014 and 2017 have turned it into a long-term underperformer.
Amazon (AMZN): $20,395.55
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $153.71
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $3,135.00
Compound annual growth rate: 35.19%
A $1,000 investment in Amazon would have provided a substantial return for the long-term investor — with that investment essentially increasing in size by over one-third each year for a decade. A leader in e-commerce, Amazon consistently adds new products and services for consumer and business customers — and its business model was perfectly poised to profit from a pandemic.
Pfizer (PFE): $991.28
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $36.70
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $36.38
Compound annual growth rate: -0.09%
Pfizer has taken investors on a roller-coaster ride over the last several years, briefly flirting in 2018 with its late-’90s/early-2000s glory. Since the summer of 2019, however, it’s been a jagged line of steep losses that were quickly gained back before soon being lost again.
SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): $3,557.92
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $93.83
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $333.84
Compound annual growth rate: 13.53%
Perhaps the easiest route to investing in stocks is simply to invest in ETFs that track major indices, like the world’s most famous eight-legged S&P 500 index fund. If you can’t beat the market — and almost no one can — why not join it?
McDonald’s (MCD): $4,016.41
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $55.44
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $222.67
Compound annual growth rate: 14.92%
McDonald’s stock has enjoyed a consistently steady rise over the last decade. It’s fared well during the COVID-19 crisis, as more and more financially struggling families have turned to its cheap, easily accessible and high-calorie food.
Starbucks (SBUX): $7,877.16
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $10.99
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $86.57
Compound annual growth rate: 22.92%
Starbucks investors enjoyed a meteoric rise when the company’s stock prices nearly doubled between the summer of 2018 and the summer of 2019. Much of that gain, however, was lost when the COVID-19 crisis struck and things like expensive coffee could no longer be justified by many struggling families.
Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK): $185.10
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $21.07
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $3.90
Compound annual growth rate: -15.52%
A turbulent decade for energy prices was not kind to investors in Oklahoma City-based oil and gas producer Chesapeake Energy Corporation. Its stock used to trade for nearly $50 a share, but today, you can get a single share for $4 — and even get some change back.
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FedEx (FDX): $3,249.30
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $78.54
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $255.20
Compound annual growth rate: 12.51%
After a decade of gains, FedEx stock prices cratered in the second half of 2018, but the pandemic — and the massive increase in package deliveries it stoked — has been good for shareholders. In the last six months, the stock has nearly returned to its high from the summer of 2018.
Oracle (ORCL): $2,468.74
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $23.83
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $58.83
Compound annual growth rate: 9.46%
Oracle hit a major milestone in late June 2017 when it finally surpassed its all-time high from 2000 prior to a steep sell-off in the midst of the tech bubble bursting, having traded below that level for over 15 years.
The Boeing Company (BA): $3,192.40
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $52.65
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $168.08
Compound annual growth rate: 12.31%
2017 was a year of extraordinary growth for Boeing, and the gains lasted for two years. Then the 737 Max scandal rattled the company before the COVID-19 crisis sent shares falling from nearly $340 to $95 in a little more than a month between February and March — it hasn’t yet come close to recovering since.
The Mosaic Company (MOS): $363.29
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $50.40
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $18.31
Compound annual growth rate: -9.63%
The Mosaic Company is a basic materials company that produces concentrated phosphate and potash fertilizers. Of course, in the last decade, Mosaic Company stock has just been producing a lot of disappointed investors, as it’s worth only a little more than one-third of what it was a decade ago.
Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI): $7,933.13
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $9.87
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $78.3
Compound annual growth rate: 23.01%
Activision roared from less than $11 a share at the start of 2010 to more than $80 by the fall of 2018. The stock then plummeted to less than $45 in early 2019 before catching fire yet again to regain most of its losses today.
Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (EL): $7,796.15
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $28.06
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $218.76
Compound annual growth rate: 22.8%
There’s no need to slap makeup on results like these, Estee Lauder’s annual return over the last decade might have investors blushing at how well they’ve done. The company grew at a rapid rate after the 2008 crash, and despite several hiccups, it’s now trading at its peak.
Salesforce.com Inc. (CRM): $8,851.79
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $28.00
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $247.85
Compound annual growth rate: 24.37%
Salesforce.com has been extremely consistent with its impressive growth over the last decade, but never more so than in the last few months. The COVID-19 crash sent the company’s stock to a sub-$135 low in early April before roaring forward to its current price.
EnviroStar Inc. (EVI): $47,431.03
Share price Oct. 1, 2010: $0.58
Share price Oct. 2, 2020: $27.51
Compound annual growth rate: 47.1%
Formerly known as EnviroStar, EVI Industries distributes, leases and rents out equipment for laundry and dry cleaning operations. The biggest gains came in the last four years as the stock jumped from $4.36 a share in August 2016 to a peak of $47.40 almost exactly two years later.
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John Csiszar and Andrew Lisa contributed to the reporting for this article.
Photos are for representational purposes only and therefore may not be of the companies listed.
Prices are the “adjusted close” for the corresponding dates, meaning they have been adjusted to reflect dividends and stock splits. They are current as of Oct. 2, 2020.
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: What $1,000 Invested in Stocks 10 Years Ago Would Be Worth Today
