How much would $1000 of Apple stock in 1980 be worth today?
These three are gigantic trillion-dollar companies today, but they weren't always that large. Apple debuted on the public markets in 1980. If you invested $1,000 in the company, then your investment would now be worth nearly $1.5 million. But how many people buy a stock on its IPO?
In other words, that $1,000 investment in 1980 would be worth more than $1.26 million today! But that's not all, because Apple has paid a dividend in several years since 1987. Assuming you never sold a single share along the way, you would've collected an additional $155,131 in dividend payments!
If you had invested $1,000 in Apple stock on Feb. 4, 1997, today, you would have $1,343,269. Likewise, if you had invested $1,000 in an index fund replicating Nasdaq, you would have $11,038. A similar $1,000 investment in an index fund that replicates the S&P 500 would be worth $6,140.
Those gains translate to a 36.6% compound annual growth rate for Apple compared to a 7.4% CAGR for the S&P 500 in that time. That means that $10,000 in AAPL stock purchased 20 years ago would be worth about $5.08 million today, assuming reinvested dividends.
Apple went public on December 12, 1980 at $22.00 per share. The stock has split five times since the IPO, so on a split-adjusted basis the IPO share price was $. 10.
What does that look like on a brokerage statement? Check out the above chart and you'll see that if you invested $1,000 in Apple stock 20 years ago, it would today be worth almost $530,000. The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 would have theoretically turned into $6,186 over the same period.
Factoring in the company's five stock splits, these 454 shares would have increased to 101,696 shares, as of today. With Apple closing last week at $140.09, it means an initial $10,000 investment nearly 42 years ago would now be worth $14,246,593.
As a result, those who bought $10,000 worth of Amazon's stock in January 2013 would have $78,138.51 today, with an annual rate of return of 22.42%. The growth proves the importance of holding stocks over the long term, as doing so can safeguard your investment against short-term headwinds.
If you had invested $1,000 in Apple stock on Jan. 24, 1984, today, you would have $1,593,809. Likewise, if you had invested $1,000 in an index fund replicating Nasdaq, you would have $55,090. A similar $1,000 investment in an index fund that replicates the S&P 500 would be worth $29,230.
2009: Apple's Remarkable Rebound from the Financial Crisis
As the world economy began to recover from the 2008 financial crisis, Apple stock flourished in 2009. Shares increased by an astounding 147% throughout the year, surpassing major benchmarks like the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite.
What if I bought $1,000 shares of Apple in 2000?
But if you were smart enough to invest $1,000 in Apple stock at the start of the year 2000, you'd be sitting on a monster gain of 21,230%. This means that modest investment would be worth a whopping $213,000 today (as of July 27).
Buffett began buying Apple in the first quarter of 2016, but there's no way to know exactly what his average share price was. But if you use the highest closing that quarter as a conservative estimate, it means that you would have paid $27.06 per share for Apple.
To get a sense of what that sort of underperformance looks like on an account statement, have a look at the chart below. This chart illustrates the disconcerting fact that if you invested $1,000 in Walmart stock 20 years ago, today it would be worth only about $4,400.
Southwest Airlines (LUV) had the highest return in 1980 by a US stock in the S&P 500 (GSPC), returning 143.1%.
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has split its stock five times since its IPO in 1980. It executed three 2-for-1 splits in 1987, 2000, and 2005, a 7-for-1 split in 2014, and a 4-for-1 split in 2020.
"Apple's been on top for so long now," says Matt Warman in Britain's Telegraph, "there is only one way it can go." Indeed, Apple shares will never get back to $700, says The Economist.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in January 2014 would be worth $10,826.55, or a gain of 982.66%, as of January 19, 2024, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases. Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 160.02% and gold's return of 58.17% over the same time frame.
But if you have a long enough investment time horizon and pick the right investment, $1,000 could eventually grow into $1 million. Buying stocks like Amazon, Home Depot, Microsoft, and Berkshire Hathaway at the right time has all delivered such returns to early investors.
According to CNBC calculations, a $1,000 investment made on May 1, 2009, would be worth more than $13,000 as of midday May 1, 2019, for a total return of more than 1,200%. Over the same period, the S&P 500 returned just over 300%.
Those gains translate to a 23.2% compound annual growth rate for Amazon compared to a 6.2% CAGR for the S&P 500 in that time. As a result, $10,000 in AMZN stock purchased 20 years ago would now be worth $645,262.
How much would you have if you invested $10000 in Microsoft 30 years ago?
Achieving this milestone isn't a walk in the park by any means, but it can be more accomplishable than many realize, thanks to the power of investing and compound interest. A $10,000 investment in Microsoft 30 years ago, at the start of January 1994, would be worth nearly $2.4 million today with dividends reinvested.
Accounting for the Tesla stock splits, this debut-day investor would hold 8,820 shares today. In other words, a $10,000 investment in Tesla's IPO in 2010 would now be worth a staggering $2,643,178. For those of you keeping score at home, this equates to a 26,332% increase in value in just over 12 years.
Five years ago, Amazon shares were $70.26 each. So, with $1,000 to invest, I could have bought 14 shares, leaving me $16.36 as spare change. At today's share price of $97.24, my position would be worth $1,361.36. Despite the roller-coaster ride, that's still a respectable 38% return over five years.
Amazon stock hit $2,000 per share for the first time Thursday.
If you had invested in Netflix ten years ago, you're probably feeling pretty good about your investment today. According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in February 2014 would be worth $9,138.15, or a gain of 813.81%, as of February 12, 2024, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.
