If You'd Invested $1,000 in Nvidia 5 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today

The Motley FoolFeb 12, 2026 8:07 PM

Key Points

This top AI stock generated a total return that runs laps around the S&P 500.
Nvidia's financial success is a direct result of the ongoing AI infrastructure build-out.
10 stocks we like better than Nvidia ›

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the poster child of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Its powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) command a leadership position in the market for data centers. This has propelled tremendous growth in recent memory.

If you invested $1,000 in this top AI stock five years ago, here's how much you'd have today.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks »

Nvidia desktop with Nvidia GPU inside and highlighted.

Image source: Nvidia.

Nvidia has been crushing the market

The S&P 500 index's five-year trailing total return of 91% (as of Feb. 11) is respectable.

However, it doesn't come close to Nvidia's 1,180% gain during the same time. This impressive performance would've turned a $1,000 starting sum in February 2021 into $12,810 today.

Demand for AI chips is through the roof

The economy is experiencing an AI-fueled spending spree. And Nvidia is the main beneficiary of this infrastructure build-out. Its revenue in the fiscal third quarter of 2026 (ended Oct. 26) was up 62% year over year. And it was 1,113% higher than the same period in fiscal 2021. That has lifted the business to a monster market cap of $4.6 trillion.

There are some investors out there worried that we're in the middle of an AI bubble that's ready to pop. While it's always smart to understand any risks, it's also very easy to remain bullish on Nvidia shares. That's because they trade at a reasonable forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24.7.

Should you buy stock in Nvidia right now?

Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nvidia wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $429,385!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,165,045!*

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*Stock Advisor returns as of February 12, 2026.

Neil Patel has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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