You don’t have to be an expert to invest your money, but being as informed as possible before getting started can help give your savings the best chance to grow in the long-term. Savings in cash tend to decrease in value because of the impact of inflation, so putting your money into a long-term investment can help protect its worth over time.
Doing your research to assess all investment options, as well as having a diversified portfolio by investing in a mix of asset classes, is also recommended to help spread and mitigate the risks of having to invest in one place. Shepherds Friendly’s Stocks and Shares ISAs, for example, are a great way to get started with investing, giving your money more potential for growth than in a regular cash savings account.
But if you’re simply getting to understand the value of investing, it can feel overwhelming to take the first leap. With this in mind, we’ve taken a look at the value of investing in some of the world’s most famous companies by analysing how much a £1,000 investment in 2013 would be worth now in 2023.
Top 10 companies for investment growth over the last decade
From a seedlist of 45 household names, we’ve analysed average stock prices to reveal how much a £1,000 investment in 2013 would be worth now in 2023.
Investing in shares in a company can be risky depending on the success of the business, however, our research shows that long term investments can be beneficial for growing your savings over time.
| Rank | Company | Value of stock on 1st Jan 2013 | Value of stock on 1st Jan 2023 | No. of stocks could have bought for £1,000 in 2013 | Amount that £1,000 worth of stocks from 2013 is worth in 2023 | 2013 yearly average value of stock | 2023 yearly average value of stock* | % increase in stock value from 2013 to 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nvidia | £2.41 | £117.43 | 247.44 | £81,817.21 | £2.72 | £271.35 | 9,869.87% |
| 2 | Apple | £13.78 | £102.20 | 56.02 | £9,413.62 | £12.02 | £137.91 | 1,047.10% |
| 3 | Microsoft | £18.63 | £195.28 | 30.24 | £9,026.41 | £22.27 | £244.95 | 999.92% |
| 4 | Netflix | £10.79 | £242.05 | 23.27 | £8,715.25 | £28.95 | £307.40 | 962.00% |
| 5 | Amazon | £10.53 | £70.43 | 55.20 | £6,331.92 | £12.20 | £94.13 | 671.58% |
| 6 | Lowe's | £24.49 | £159.99 | 22.72 | £4,793.09 | £29.64 | £173.11 | 484.06% |
| 7 | Costco Wholesale | £68.02 | £369.86 | 8.93 | £4,590.48 | £75.39 | £421.73 | 459.37% |
| 8 | Visa | £29.60 | £169.21 | 19.50 | £4,486.20 | £34.53 | £188.78 | 446.67% |
| 9 | Lockheed Martin | £56.16 | £384.23 | 9.68 | £4,402.78 | £69.56 | £373.22 | 436.50% |
| 10 | Danaher | £33.98 | £214.49 | 17.27 | £4,296.66 | £38.99 | £204.14 | 423.57% |
*Yearly average for 2023 taken from the start of 2023 until 27/09/2023. The yearly open prices for 2013 and 2023 are also included for reference.
1. Nvidia
Founded in 1993, and made a public company in 2000, software company Nvidia has topped the list of companies with the biggest investment growth over the last 10 years. £1,000 could have bought you 247 Nvidia stocks in 2013 on average, which would now be worth £81,817. The value of Nvidia’s stock has grown by almost 10,000% in the past decade with one stock now being valued at £271 on average in 2023, compared to around £3 in 2013.
While it might not be a household name, Nvidia is known for developing integrated circuits, which are used in everything from gaming consoles to PCs. With the rise of AI, the demand for Nvidia’s microchips has also grown, with ChatGPT reportedly being run on thousands of its A100 chips.
2. Apple
From one tech giant to another, Apple has come in second place. In 2013, £1,000 could buy you 56 stocks in the company, which would have seen your investment increase to £9,414. For the lucky few who invested way back in Apple’s first full listing year (1981), £1,000 worth of stocks would now be worth £1,635,960.
Famous for creating the iPhone, the iPad, and Mac computers (and having since expanded into TVs, watches, and most recently AR headsets), Apple is a huge player in the consumer electronics industry with its new products regularly selling out within hours of launching.
3. Microsoft
Yet another computing company has broken into the top five, with Microsoft ranking third on the list. A £1,000 investment in this tech giant back in 2013 would now be worth £9,026. If you had invested in Microsoft stock back in its first full listing year (1987), your £1,000 would now be worth £1,148,899.
Founded in 1975, and credited with bringing personal computing to the masses, Microsoft is best known for its software products, including Microsoft Windows, the Microsoft Office suite, and Internet Explorer. Microsoft’s workplace messaging app Teams also saw a huge surge in demand over the past few years, and the company’s Xbox 360 is one of the most popular video game consoles of all time.
4. Netflix
In fourth place is TV and film streaming platform, Netflix. The company began as a DVD-by-mail service in 1997 before it launched its streaming services in 2007. You could have bought around 23 shares for £1,000 in 2013, which are now worth £8,715.
It will come as no surprise that the streaming giant has made it into the top five companies for investment growth. Netflix has exploded in popularity over the last decade, and has played a significant role in changing the way we consume media.
5. Amazon
In fifth place is e-commerce company Amazon. £1,000 would have bought you around 55 stocks in 2013, which now have a value of £6,332.
Created in 1994 in Jeff Bezos’ garage in Washington, Amazon is considered to be the biggest e-commerce company in the world, and is often credited for revolutionising the way we shop. Since its beginnings, Amazon has also expanded to include digital streaming and artificial intelligence services.
6. Lowe’s
Coming in seventh is Lowe’s, as 10 years ago you could buy around 23 stocks for £1,000, which are now valued at £4,793.
Founded in 1921, Lowe’s is an American retail company specialising in home improvement, growing from one small-town hardware store in North Carolina to over 2,000 locations across the U.S.
7. Costco Wholesale
Another big disruptor in the retail industry, Costco Wholesale comes in seventh place with £1,000 worth of shares in 2013 being worth £4,590 today.
The membership-only warehouse is the fifth-largest grocer in the world and allows people to benefit from low prices on a range of goods, from food and drink to electronics and furniture.
8. Visa
The only payment card company to make it into the top 10, Visa is in ninth place. £1,000 worth of Visa shares bought in 2013 would be worth around £4,886 in 2023.
Founded back in 1958, then named BankAmericard, by the Bank of America as a competitor for Mastercard, Visa has become a household name for its debit cards, credit cards and prepaid card products.
9. Lockheed Martin
Coming in ninth place is Lockheed Martin as £1,000 worth of their shares bought a decade ago would now be worth £4,403.
One of the most prominent companies in the aerospace, military support and security sector, Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest defence contractor with half of its annual sales being to the U.S. Department of Defence.
10. Danaher
Rounding off the top 10, £1,000 invested in Danaher in 2013 would be worth £4,297 in 2023.
Although not a household name, Danaher is a Fortune 500 company and an innovator in science and technology. Danaher designs, manufactures, and markets medical, industrial, and commercial products and services with the aim of improving people’s quality of life around the world.
How much would an investment in other household names be worth?
In a world dominated by technology and online consumerism, it’s perhaps no surprise to see that the top 10 is made up of mostly tech giants and retailers who have changed the way we shop. However, there are several other significant household names who didn’t quite make the top 10 list, but would still have given you a nice return on your investment.
For example, when looking at what an investment of £1,000 in Nike 10 years ago would be worth today, for example, you could have expected to see a return of over triple its value at £3,234. Meanwhile, a £1,000 investment 10 years ago in the fast food chain McDonald’s would now be worth £3,102. Additionally, a £1,000 investment in 2013 in coffee company Starbucks would now be worth £2,954, whilst if you’d opted to go for Pepsi your investment would now be worth £2,457.
Looking at which household name in the analysis would have made you the most money if you had invested when the stock was first listed, Walmart takes the crown. Whilst a £1,000 investment in 2013 would now be worth £2,040, if you’d have invested £1,000 back in 1973, Walmart’s first full listing year on the stock market, your investment would now be worth a huge £4,613,304. The average Walmart stock price in 1973 was £0.02, which has increased to around £123 in 2023.
How to get started with investment
Investing in company shares can be risky, however, the aim of our research is to show just how beneficial investing can be when it comes to growing your savings.
Investing for the first time however can seem like a daunting task, with many of us feeling unsure on how to get started. With this in mind, Shepherds Friendly’s Chief Finance Officer Derence Lee, has put together some top tips for helping you get started:
1. Decide your investment goals
First things first, you need to decide what you want out of your investments. Are you saving for a specific goal, such as a house deposit or car, or are you looking to save long-term for the future? Knowing exactly what you’re saving for and the time frame that you have will help you decide the type of investment you make.
2. Figure out how much money you have to invest
How much money you invest will depend on your individual financial situation, however, you don’t need a lot of money to get started, for example, you can invest from just £30 a month with our Stocks and Shares ISA. It’s best to start as soon as possible, so you have more time to build up your pot.
Also, ensure you have separate savings alongside your initial investments, as there is a certain degree of uncertainty around any investment. You can also spread the risks that come with investing and mitigate the effects of investments performing poorly by opting to have a diversified investment portfolio.
Always keep in mind: when you invest, your capital is at risk and returns are not guaranteed.
3. Do your research
There are lots of different ways to invest, whether you’re putting money into property, investment raw materials, funds, savings accounts, stocks and shares, or ISAs. Each type of investment has its own pros and cons, and some are more risky than others, so make sure you do your research so you know what is going to work best for you.
4. Consider a stocks and shares ISA
If you’re looking for an investment that is quick and easy to start, one option for beginners is a Stocks and Shares ISA, where providers have generally created ready-made portfolios for you to pick from depending on the level of risk you’d like to take. This allows your money to be invested in a mix of shares, funds, bonds, and other assets and is a good option for those looking to grow their capital over the medium to long term. However, as with all investments, growth is not guaranteed, your capital is at risk and you may get less than what you initially invested. This is why it’s recommended to invest for a minimum of 5 years.
Sources & Methodology
Shepherds Friendly pulled together a seedlist of 45 of the world’s most famous companies.
Macro Trends was then used to determine the average price a stock for each company was worth in USD for the year the organisation went public, 2013, and 2023. Yearly average for 2023 taken from the start of 2023 until 27/09/2023.
To calculate what $1,000 invested in the past could be worth today, we calculated the number of stocks that could have been bought with $1,000 in the listing year and in 2013.
This number of stocks was then multiplied by the average price of the organisation’s stock in 2023. Additionally, we calculated the percentage of the stock price has increased; listing year vs 2023 and 2013 vs 2023. The ranking is created based on these values, filtering results high to low.
The currency was then converted from USD to GBP on 2/10/2023.
Please note: As with all investing, your capital is at risk you may get back less than you have put in. The value of the ISA will depend on the performance of the investments and any bonuses cannot be guaranteed. Additionally, if investment conditions are poor, Shepherds Friendly may apply a Market Value Reduction (MVR).
