If You Had Gone All-In on Nvidia 10 Years Ago, Here's How Much Richer You Would Be Today
- - If You Had Gone All-In on Nvidia 10 Years Ago, Here's How Much Richer You Would Be Today
Jordan MajorFebruary 12, 2026 at 6:08 AM
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When investors talk about stocks that created life-changing wealth over the past decade, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) is almost always part of the conversation. What started as a graphics chip company for gamers has turned into one of the most important technology firms in the world, and one of the biggest stock-market winners of the last 10 years.
If you had spotted Nvidia early and held on, the results would have been dramatic. Even relatively small investments made through everyday investing apps would have grown into sizable sums, thanks to the company's explosive rise alongside artificial intelligence, data centers, and high-performance computing.
Here's a look at how Nvidia has performed over the past decade, what drove that growth, and whether the stock could still have room to run.
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Nvidia then vs. now
At the start of 2016, Nvidia was a very different company in the eyes of investors. While it was already well known in gaming circles, few people imagined it would become the backbone of the global AI boom.
On February 3, 2016, Nvidia shares opened at approximately $0.71 (split-adjusted). Fast-forward to February 2026, and the stock was trading around $180.
That's an increase of more than 25,000% over roughly 10 years, a reminder of just how powerful long-term compounding can be when a company executes at the right moment in a massive technological shift.
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What if you had invested $100, $1,000, or $5,000?
To put Nvidia's growth into perspective, let's walk through a few simple "what if" scenarios. These assume a one-time investment at the beginning of 2016, with no additional purchases or sales along the way.
If you invested $100 in Nvidia in early 2016 at $0.71 per share, $100 would have bought you roughly 141 shares. At a February 2026 price of $180.34, that investment would now be worth about $25,400.
A $1,000 investment would have purchased roughly 1,408 shares. Those shares would now be worth approximately $254,000, turning a four-figure investment into a quarter-million-dollar position.
Finally, with $5,000 invested in early 2016, you'd own about 7,042 shares. At the same February 2026 price, that stake would be worth roughly $1.27 million.
These numbers highlight just how rare Nvidia's run has been. Stocks that deliver returns like this don't come along often, and when they do, they usually sit at the center of major technological revolutions.
What drove Nvidia's explosive growth?
Nvidia's rise wasn't driven by a single lucky break. It was the result of years of strategic positioning, combined with perfect timing.
Originally known for graphics processing units (GPUs) used in gaming, Nvidia realized early that its chips were uniquely suited for parallel computing. That capability turned out to be ideal for artificial intelligence workloads, including machine learning and large language models.
As AI adoption accelerated, Nvidia's GPUs became the industry standard for training and running complex models. The company also expanded aggressively into data centers, autonomous driving technology, and high-performance computing, further diversifying its revenue base.
Just as importantly, Nvidia built a powerful software ecosystem around its hardware, making it harder for competitors to displace it. That combination of hardware dominance and software lock-in has helped fuel its pricing power and profit margins.
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How far is Nvidia from its all-time high?
Nvidia's stock hit an all-time closing high of $207.03 on October 29, 2025. At a February 2026 price of around $180.34, the stock is roughly 13% below that peak, a pullback of about $27 per share.
For some investors, that pullback matters. Others see it as evidence that there could still be upside if Nvidia continues to deliver strong earnings growth and maintain its leadership in AI infrastructure.
What Wall Street is saying about Nvidia
Despite its massive run, Nvidia remains widely favored by analysts. The stock carries an overwhelming majority of "Buy" ratings on Wall Street. For instance, price targets for the next 12 months vary, but they generally skew higher.
One of the most recent updates came in February 2026, when Cantor Fitzgerald analyst C.J. Muse reiterated a "Buy" rating and set a $300 price target, citing continued demand for AI chips and Nvidia's dominant market position.
Overall, the highest NVDA stock forecast is $352, while the lowest price target at $200 is still above Nvidia's current trading price.
Is Nvidia still worth buying today?
That's the question many investors are wrestling with now.
On one hand, Nvidia is no longer a hidden gem. It's the most valuable company in the world, and expectations are high. Any slowdown in AI spending, increased competition, or regulatory pressure could introduce volatility.
On the other hand, Nvidia remains deeply embedded in the AI ecosystem, with demand for its chips still outstripping supply in many areas. If AI adoption continues expanding across industries, Nvidia could keep growing, even from today's elevated levels.
Ultimately, investors should consider whether the company can continue compounding at attractive rates over the long term, as most Wall Street analysts forecast.
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Bottom line
If you had gone all-in on Nvidia 10 years ago, even a modest investment could have turned into a fortune. A $1,000 bet in early 2016 would now be worth well over $250,000, illustrating just how powerful long-term investing can be when you back the right company at the right time and stay on a path toward building a strong portfolio that could help you retire early.
Whether Nvidia can deliver similar returns from here is far less certain. The stock is no longer cheap, and expectations are high. Still, with strong analyst support, a commanding position in AI hardware, and a track record of execution, Nvidia remains one of the most closely watched stocks in the market today.
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Source: “AOL Money”
