The stock market is full of surprises. Predicting which stocks will soar and which will fall is impossible, so investors must accept a degree of volatility. Historically, markets produce more gains than losses, but when major downturns occur—as in 2008, when the S&P 500 fell about 37%—recoveries can take years. A company’s share price moves for many reasons: changing demand for products, breakthroughs in technology or medicine, mergers and acquisitions, and broader economic conditions.
Some of the most successful stocks of the 21st century became household names and joined the S&P 500; others were smaller firms or have since been absorbed into larger companies. The list is dominated by firms in medicine and technology, with a few well-known consumer brands appearing multiple times.
Below are the top-performing stocks of the century by year, listed with key details about their performance and what drove their gains.
2000: OSI Pharmaceuticals
Former symbol: OSIP (Nasdaq). The company was later acquired by Japan’s Astellas Pharma.
End of 2000 price per share: $80.13
Astellas price (March 1, 2019): $15.60 (not directly comparable)
Current market cap (Astellas): $30.5 billion
Based on Long Island, OSI Pharmaceuticals specialized in oncology drugs. In 2000 it secured rights from Pfizer for an anticancer compound showing promise across multiple cancer types, driving investor enthusiasm that year.
2001: Acclaim Entertainment
Former symbol: AKLM (Nasdaq)
End of 2001 price per share: $5.38
Acclaim was a Glen Cove, New York–based video game developer and publisher. In 2001 the company rebounded thanks to the release of new titles across multiple gaming systems. However, Acclaim later filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations in 2004.
2002: Firstwave Technologies
Former symbol: FSTW (Nasdaq)
End of 2002 price per share: $12.16
Atlanta-based Firstwave developed customer relationship management (CRM) software. After reporting a profit in the first quarter of 2002, the stock surged—doubling in a single day. The company’s later history is sparse in public records; reports in 2007 suggested it might consider going private.
2003: Avaya
Symbol: AVYA (NYSE)
End of 2003 price per share: $13
Price (March 1, 2019): $15.67 (after a later IPO)
Current market cap: $1.62 billion
Avaya, based in Santa Clara, California, provides communications systems and software. Formed as a spin-off from Lucent (and ultimately AT&T lineage), Avaya was taken private by private equity firms in 2007 and returned to the public markets with a new IPO in 2017.
2004: Autodesk
Symbol: ADSK (Nasdaq)
End of 2004 price per share: $37.95
Price (March 1, 2019): $159.77
Current market cap: $33.62 billion
Autodesk, headquartered in San Rafael, California, develops design and engineering software for architecture, construction, manufacturing, media, and entertainment industries. Its expanding product offerings and industry adoption supported strong long-term growth.
2005: Hansen Natural
Symbol: MNST (Nasdaq), formerly HANS
End of 2005 price per share: $3.28
Price (March 1, 2019): $64.74
Current market cap: $33.53 billion
Hansen Natural, based in Corona, California, is the maker of Monster Energy drinks. A 2-for-1 stock split and the introduction of several new products helped fuel a dramatic rise in stock price, including a nearly 250% surge in November of that year.
2006: Force Protection
Former symbol: FRPT (Nasdaq). The company was later acquired by General Dynamics (GD).
End of 2006 price per share: $13
General Dynamics price (March 1, 2019): $169.28 (not directly comparable)
Current market cap (GD): $47.98 billion
Force Protection, based in South Carolina, produced blast-protected vehicles designed to withstand roadside bombs, initially for the U.S. Marine Corps. Its niche defense products attracted significant interest before being acquired by General Dynamics in 2011.
2007: Mosaic
Symbol: MOS (NYSE)
End of 2007 price per share: $94.34
Price (March 1, 2019): $31
Current market cap: $11.27 billion
The Mosaic Company, headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, is a major producer of phosphate and potash fertilizers with mines and operations in North America and sales offices worldwide. Rising demand for corn and soybeans—driven in part by biofuel production—boosted fertilizer purchases and Mosaic’s sales in 2007.
2008: Dollar Tree
Symbol: DLTR (Nasdaq)
End of 2008 price per share: $41.69
Price (March 1, 2019): $96.36
Current market cap: $28.88 billion
Headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia, Dollar Tree is a discount retailer that proved resilient during the recession. Its low-price business model helped it maintain sales while many other retailers saw year-over-year declines.
2009: Diedrich Coffee
Former symbol: DDRX (Nasdaq). The company’s assets were later absorbed into Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP).
End of 2009 price per share: $34.85
Keurig Dr Pepper price (March 1, 2019): $26 (not directly comparable)
Current market cap (KDP): $37.28 billion
Irvine, California–based Diedrich Coffee shifted away from company-owned retail stores to focus on wholesale coffee sales and producing K-Cups for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. In late 2009 Green Mountain agreed to acquire Diedrich after competitive bidding; Green Mountain later became part of Keurig Dr Pepper.
2010: Netflix
Symbol: NFLX (Nasdaq)
End of 2010 price per share: $175.70
Price (March 1, 2019): $357.32
Current market cap: $157.01 billion
Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, disrupted the video rental market with its DVD-by-mail model and then aggressively expanded into streaming. As consumers shifted away from traditional cable, Netflix invested heavily in streaming technology and original programming, which helped its market value grow substantially.
2011: Pharmasset
Former symbol: VRUS (Nasdaq). Pharmasset was acquired by Gilead Sciences.
End of 2011 price per share: $137
Gilead price (March 1, 2019): $66.01 (not directly comparable)
Current market cap (GILD): $80.26 billion
Based in Princeton, New Jersey, Pharmasset focused on antiviral drugs. Its promising hepatitis C treatment—expected to reduce or eliminate interferon use—reached late-stage trials in 2011 and prompted investor excitement. Gilead acquired Pharmasset later that year.
2012: Pharmacyclics
Former symbol: PCYC (Nasdaq). Pharmacyclics was acquired by AbbVie.
End of 2012 price per share: $57.78
AbbVie price (March 1, 2019): $80.10 (not directly comparable)
Current market cap (ABBV): $115.19 billion
Pharmacyclics, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, developed cancer therapies. In 2012 the company’s experimental treatment for certain leukemias showed strong results, boosting its stock. AbbVie acquired Pharmacyclics in 2015.
2013: Tesla
Symbol: TSLA (Nasdaq)
End of 2013 price per share: $37.51
Price (March 1, 2019): $294.79
Current market cap: $47.71 billion
Tesla, based in Palo Alto, California (now headquartered in Texas), experienced surging demand for its electric vehicles and improved production efficiency in 2013. Increased output and expanding gross margins attracted investors and pushed the stock higher.
2014: Avanir Pharmaceuticals
Former symbol: AVNR (Nasdaq). Avanir was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical.
End of 2014 price per share: $16.95
Otsuka price (March 1, 2019): $142.36 (not directly comparable)
Current market cap (Otsuka): $23.7 billion
Avanir, headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, developed treatments for central nervous system disorders. In December 2014 Otsuka announced it would acquire Avanir for $3.5 billion, with Avanir to operate as an independent subsidiary.
2015: Netflix
Symbol: NFLX (Nasdaq)
End of 2015 price per share: $114.38
Price (March 1, 2019): $357.32
Current market cap: $157.01 billion
Netflix returned to the list in 2015 as its investment in original content, attractive subscription pricing, and the accelerating trend of cord-cutting helped expand its subscriber base and drive revenue growth.
2016: Resolute Energy
Symbol: REN (NYSE)
End of 2016 price per share: $41.19
Price (Feb. 28, 2019): $30.91
Current market cap: $721.11 million
Denver-based Resolute Energy focuses on oil and gas production in fields such as the Aneth Field in Utah and properties in the Permian Basin, Texas. After early-year declines, a strong second-quarter earnings report and subsequent asset acquisitions helped the stock rebound in 2016.
2017: NRG Energy
Symbol: NRG (NYSE)
End of 2017 price per share: $28.40
Price (March 1, 2019): $42.20
Current market cap: $11.63 billion
NRG, with operations in Houston and West Windsor, New Jersey, saw its value rise as it announced plans to divest certain conventional and renewable assets to streamline operations. The company had previously spun off from Xcel Energy in 2004.
2018: Twilio
Symbol: TWLO (NYSE)
End of 2018 price per share: $89.30
Price (March 1, 2019): $123.53
Current market cap: $14.17 billion
Twilio, based in San Francisco, offers cloud communications services that enable developers to add messaging, voice, and video to applications. Strong sales growth in the third quarter—driven by new customers and higher spend from existing clients—supported its rapid expansion and left ample market opportunity ahead.