• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers

2

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948

1

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers

2

College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind

3

An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
TechFortune 500

These 10 Stocks Have Beaten Google’s 1,780% Gain Since Its IPO

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 19, 2016, 3:13 PM ET
Google IPO Nasdaq crew 2004 David Krane
Google executives just before ringing the opening Nasdaq bell in 2004.Courtesy: David Krane
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Google went public 12 years ago today at $85 a share. Although there were many skeptics who doubted the search engine company could possibly justify that value, the stock has done phenomenally well ever since.

Accounting for a 2-1 stock split in 2014 and at Google’s current price of almost $800 a share, an investor who bought at the IPO and held on for the whole dozen-year ride would have a gain of 1,780%, according to money manager and research firm Bespoke Investment Group. While the overall market has done well since August 2004, Google (GOOG) still walloped the field, as the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index posted a comparatively meager price gain of only 99% over the same period.

But there were 10 stocks that actually outperformed Google over the past 12 years, according to Bespoke’s calculations.

Jeff Bezos’ Amazon.com (AMZN) narrowly came out ahead, with an 1,827% gain. Salesforce.com (CRM), Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) and Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN) also did considerably better.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Two beloved tech stars returned more than twice Google’s gain. Netflix (NFLX) rose 4,181% and Apple (AAPL) posted a staggering 4,686% rise – starting at $2.27, after accounting for splits, to its current price of over $108.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) gained 4907%, Illumina (ILMN) rose 6,459% and Priceline Group (PCLN) jumped 6,984% – hitting almost 70 times its price 12 years ago.

But the top performer of all is a bit harder to guess. It was energy drink maker Monster Beverage (MNST), which posted a mind blowing 11,731% gain. At almost $161 per share, it’s trading at over 100 times its price of $1.36 from 12 years ago.

But there weren’t all winners in the stock market over the past 12 years. Bespoke also collected a list of the worst performers among the 404 members of the S&P 500 Index that are still trading (stocks that went bankrupt, were acquired or otherwise vanished were not included).

Most were crushed by the 2008 financial crisis and never recovered. AIG (AIG) has lost 95% of its value, Citigroup (C) 90%, and ETrade Financial (ETFC) 79%, marking the bottom of the charts. Overall, eight of the 15 stocks with the biggest losses were in the financial sector.

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

Dario Amodei looking to the side.
AIAnthropic
A trove of users’ seemingly private conversations with Anthropic’s Claude AI chatbot showed up in Google search results
By Beatrice NolanJuly 27, 2026
4 hours ago
The war between competing AI models could end up more like Apple vs. Android than VHS vs. Betamax
AITech
The war between competing AI models could end up more like Apple vs. Android than VHS vs. Betamax
By Jason MaJuly 27, 2026
5 hours ago
Workers help a traveler at a Trip.com tabling session booth.
Big TechChina
Trip.com struck with $765 million penalty from China over monopoly allegations
By The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
6 hours ago
Canadian intern at NATO’s military headquarters arrested on espionage charges
North AmericaNATO
Canadian intern at NATO’s military headquarters arrested on espionage charges
By Sam McNeil and The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
7 hours ago
econ
AsiaChina
A Chinese chip maker’s shares surged 466% in their first day of trading as AI boom worm turns
By Chan Ho-Him and The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
9 hours ago
canada
EconomyTariffs
Canada’s awkward tariff summer: Gordie Howe Bridge opens for traffic a week after Michigan and White House officials got uninvited
By The Associated PressJuly 27, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
Retail
New York City women are making up to $30,000 per month by renting out their closets to strangers
By Sarah GlodekJuly 27, 2026
15 hours ago
College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
Economy
College-educated women are snapping up the highest-earning men without college degrees, leaving the rest further behind
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 26, 2026
1 day ago
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
Success
An 11-year-old is cleaning his neighbors' trash cans for $10 each—he now has 100K followers as teens face the worst summer job market since 1948
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 25, 2026
3 days ago
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
Real Estate
The millennial generation is split in 2: an older crowd with boomer-style comfort, a younger set going 'back to the early 1900s'
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 25, 2026
2 days ago
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
Commentary
I've been teaching college students for decades. Most of them can no longer finish a book
By Austin SaratJuly 26, 2026
2 days ago
One-third of Seattle's downtown is empty: Here's how America's boomtown turned into one of the toughest places to find a job
Real Estate
One-third of Seattle's downtown is empty: Here's how America's boomtown turned into one of the toughest places to find a job
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 27, 2026
14 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.