THE BEST STOCKS OF THE CENTURY

As we near the 25-year mark, we looked at which stocks have returned the most.

- BY DAVID MILSTEAD

SURE, that stock you bought last year has doubled, but have you ever picked a 10-bagger—one that went up 10 times your purchase price? What about a 100-bagger, or maybe even a 1,000-bagger?

Such things exist. We looked back to the turn of the century to see which stocks created the most wealth over nearly 25 years. We started with the S&P 1500, an index tracking a broad swath of U.S. stocks of all sizes, and used return data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. To make our top-10 list, a stock had to return more than 30,000%. The S&P 1500, by the way, has returned 666% in the same period.

Some stars of the 21st century didn’t make the cut simply because they haven’t shone quite long enough. Netflix is one. The DVD shipper-turned-streamer debuted its stock in May 2002, a little late for this list. But since its initial public offering, Netflix has returned more than 100,000%. Still, our top 10 is loaded with power hitters. How did they do it, and what’s next for these best-of-the-best companies? Read on to find out. (Prices and returns are as of June 30, unless otherwise noted.)

1. Monster Beverage (symbol MNST, $63)

25-year cumulative total return: 155,103%

Growth of $1,000: $1,551,030

A monster, indeed. The company was known as Hansen Natural, having started in the 1930s as a seller of juices. By 2012, shareholders voted to change the company’s name to Monster, reflecting the line of energy drinks that today make up more than 90% of revenue.

The sellers of these drinks, which contain more caffeine and sugar than traditional soft drinks, market them as boosting physical and mental energy. Monster is now the biggest player in a global market estimated at $90 billion in sales, with a 46% share in North America, according to Morningstar analyst Dan Su.