Nvidia's Historic Returns: A $1,000 Investment in 1999 Now Worth Millions

Nvidia has been one of the most successful stocks in history, earning unprecedented returns over its 27-year time frame. Since its IPO in 1999 at a split-adjusted price of $0.025 per share, an investment of $1,000 would have delivered millions.

At the time, that would have bought 40,000 split-adjusted shares worth $5.32 million. Adding in dividend income over the years, the overall total grows to $5.70 million.

Nvidia made its initial fortune as a leader in graphics cards and later moved on to GPUs and AI accelerators, making it an industry-leading chip stock. It won the AI training race, at least in its first phase.

Earning returns from investors was simpler when investing early involved foresight and luck. However, holding the stock during downturns could be tough. Nvidia's value declined more than 50% five times in its history, with a decline of over 85% during the dotcom bust and 2008 financial crisis.