Discussing two decades of Mad Money, Jim Cramer took a moment to highlight the top-performing stocks since the show’s debut.
“This week we’re celebrating the show’s 20th anniversary, a little over a month late, but better late than never. Given that Mad Money’s been on the air for more than two decades now, I think it’s worth going over the best-performing stocks during that period.”
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He pointed out that while the broader markets have posted impressive long-term gains, the Dow rising 272%, the S&P 500 climbing 358%, and the Nasdaq 100 soaring 1,182%, the show’s philosophy has not changed. He said, “I created this show because I believe you can beat the averages by doing the homework and picking great individual stocks.” Two decades later, he feels even more strongly about that belief. According to him, investing in high-quality companies with long-term potential can outperform those indices.
“So, looking at every US-listed stock with a market cap of at least $1 billion and putting aside everything that came public after March 14th, 2005, the day of our first show, what are the biggest winners since Mad Money first went on the air? I’ve gotta tell you what, I love this list.”
He also said the results were unexpected and would surprise viewers. Cramer framed these companies as real-world evidence of the show’s long-held thesis, that investors who commit to studying individual businesses and hold onto strong performers over time can generate significant returns. Cramer noted that since Mad Money’s launch in March 2005, “These winners really represent the core thesis of the show that you can make a killing by picking the right stocks, doing the homework and sticking with the great ones.”
“Bottom line: When you look at the 10 best-performing stocks of the last 20-odd years, so many of these were gettable if you simply believed in your ability to pick stocks and stuck with them for the long haul.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 20 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episodes of Mad Money aired on April 28 and 29. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock as of the fourth quarter of 2024, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of over 1,000 hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Jim Cramer Listed 20 Best Performing Stocks of the Last 20 Years
20. O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 63
Cramer placed O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORLY) in the 20th spot on the list of stocks with the most gains over the past 20 years and said:
“The 20th best performing stock in the Mad Money era is the name we know well, it’s called O’Reilly Automotive. It’s up 5,292%. Now, this company, alongside AutoZone, another one I really like, has emerged as a strong duopoly in the auto parts retail space. Why do I like this so much? Okay, you know what I love about it? It’s still fresh.
I recommended it again just three weeks ago. Why? Because I think the auto parts stocks will thrive once the auto tariffs kick in. New cars and used cars will get much more expensive, which means you’ll need new parts to keep your old car on the road. Plus, O’Reilly’s been a voracious buyer of its own stock. Get this, it has shrunk its share count by nearly two-thirds since the end of 2010. Very similar by the way to AZO, AutoZone.”
O’Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ:ORLY) sells and distributes aftermarket auto parts, tools, and accessories. The company offers both new and remanufactured items, repair services, and support for do-it-yourself and professional vehicle maintenance across a wide range of domestic and imported models.
19. UFP Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:UFPT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 21
While Cramer noted UFP Technologies, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:UFPT) gains, he mentioned that he would like to know more, as he said:
“[At] number 19 and 18… a couple companies that we don’t follow very closely. There’s Heico, up 5,364%, and UFP Technologies, up 5,510%. Can you imagine these companies you never heard of, and they made all this money for people? Yeah, they each represent great sectors, aerospace and medical technology…
As for UFP Technologies, okay, this is a tiny $1.5 billion marketing cap company that’s a design, engineering, and manufacturing partner, mainly for medical device makers, but also for the aerospace, defense, and automotive industries. But while UFP is clearly doing something right to have this kind of performance over the past 20 years, I wish I knew more about it. So, UFP, if you’re watching, why not come on the show and tell your story? I know you can do it better than I can. Consider this an open invitation.”
UFP Technologies (NASDAQ:UFPT) designs and manufactures specialized products for medical, automotive, aerospace, and defense applications, including sterile packaging, surgical disposables, molded components, and protective systems for equipment and gear.
18. HEICO Corporation (NYSE:HEI)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 67
Cramer recommended HEICO Corporation (NYSE:HEI) as he mentioned that he believes in the aerospace industry.
“[At] number 19 and 18… a couple companies that we don’t follow very closely. There’s Heico, up 5,364%, and UFP Technologies, up 5,510%. Can you imagine these companies you never heard of, and they made all this money for people?
Yeah, they each represent great sectors, aerospace and medical technology. Heico is a leading supplier of aftermarket parts and repair solutions to the aerospace industry through its Flight Support Group. All major airlines are customers. You saw Boeing, up big today, probably again tomorrow, because it just got upgraded by rating agencies. Well, I think this Heico is an interesting way to play it. Heico still works here because I remain a big believer in aerospace for multiple years.”
HEICO (NYSE:HEI) designs, manufactures, and sells aerospace, defense, and electronic products, and it provides parts, systems, and services that support commercial and military aircraft, as well as advanced electronic technologies used in a variety of specialized applications.
17. Fair Isaac Corporation (NYSE:FICO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 60
Fair Isaac Corporation (NYSE:FICO) was mentioned during the episode, and Cramer said:
“Now we’re back on familiar ground with number 17, a company we’ve had on the air. It’s called Fair Isaac, up 5,732% in the Mad Money era. These guys are the keepers of FICO… Okay, they provide businesses with all sorts of software and services to help them manage credit risk.
Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen all sorts of fintech disruptors arrive on the scene, touting some new fancy lending decision-making technology that will ‘Make the FICO score obsolete.’ Some of these companies are great, but nobody’s been able to beat the FICO score, have they? It’s still universally used.”
Fair Isaac (NYSE:FICO) develops software and analytics tools that help businesses improve and automate decision-making. Its products include scoring systems and flexible platforms that use predictive analytics and fit into transaction and workflow systems.
16. Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 26
Cramer’s list of winners over the past 20 years included Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI), and he commented:
“The 16th best performer is another smaller name that I don’t know all that well. It’s called Nova Limited. It’s a 5,769%, but it comes from a sector that I like very much, in this case, the semiconductor manufacturing space. Nova provides advanced dimensional materials and chemical metrology, and process control solutions used in the semiconductor manufacturing.
While the semiconductor equipment names have become a geopolitical football during the current trade war, at the end of the day, this is a fabulous long-term secular growth industry that’s produced some tremendous winners over the past 20 years. Just like UFP Technologies, Nova’s earned an invitation to come join us, tell us the story more thoroughly.”
Nova Ltd. (NASDAQ:NVMI) designs, builds, and sells process control systems used in semiconductor manufacturing. The company provides products like metrology platforms that support measurements for steps such as lithography, etch, chemical mechanical planarization, deposition, electrochemical plating, and advanced packaging.
15. XPO, Inc. (NYSE:XPO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 45
Discussing XPO, Inc. (NYSE:XPO) during the episode, Cramer said:
“In 15th place is a company you should know or at least remember, it’s called XPO, the trucking company, formally known as XPO Logistics, which is up 6,493% since we started doing the show. This is a Brad Jacobs rollup and breakup story. He took control of the old Express-1 Expedited Solutions back in 2011. He changed the name to XPO Logistics and quickly got to work acquiring other companies. It’s rolling up companies in the very fragmented trucking and logistics industries.
Eventually, XPO became a leading player, but around four years ago, Jacobs and his team felt the company was undervalued, and they began breaking up the business, spinning off the logistics business as GXO Logistics and a freight brokerage business as RXO. The remaining XPO operates in the less-than-truckload sector, LTL. I have a lot of confidence in Brad Jacobs over the long term, but I don’t have much confidence in the trucking industry until we get past the disruption from the president’s tariffs. By the way, Brad Jacobs is now also doing Beacon Supply, doing a rollup in the, well, let’s say the roofing or maybe even bigger than that, housing industry.”
XPO (NYSE:XPO) provides freight transportation services that include less-than-truckload, truckload, brokerage, multimodal options, managed transportation, and warehousing.
14. Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 162
Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) came in 14th place, and here’s what Cramer had to say:
“Next, in 14th place is one of my all-time favorites, and that’s Salesforce, up 6,738%. This company started as a customer relations management software play, basically invented the cloud software strategy, and now is one of the largest and most successful enterprise software companies on the planet. Salesforce now offers an entire suite of products spanning sales, marketing, customer service, and data analytics. And it always seems to be at the leading edge of whatever big trend is happening in software, including right now with their Agentic platform that harnesses AI, okay, kind of like a a robot that you would speak to when you’re trying to figure out exactly who you want to get to in a company.
More impressive, the stock still made the list even though it’s down 28% from its highs in December. We just had Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff on the show last week. He sounded as confident as ever. I say you doubt this man at your own peril. He did the same thing in the fall of 2008 when the financial crisis was obliterating the stock market. That turned out to be an incredible buying opportunity. I know some of you think I’ve been sticking around too long on this company. I think its Agentforce program could be dramatically understated for the growth prospects it’s going to bring the company. It could blow out the numbers, okay? I’m not sure which quarter’s going to do that, but I swear by this Agentic. It makes too much sense. Don’t leave the stock.”
Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) provides a single platform that supports sales, customer service, marketing, analytics, and e-commerce. The company’s tools help improve how businesses manage customer interactions and daily operations.
13. Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MPWR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 51
While Cramer highlighted Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:MPWR) gains over the last 20 years, he mentioned that he needs more clarity.
“13th place: Monolithic Power Systems, that’s up 6,867%. That’s a stalwart semiconductor company that specializes in reliable compact chips, mostly for more efficient power management. That’s made Monolithic a key partner for makers of smartphones, electric vehicles, connected cars, and now the data center. Stock’s pulled back almost 40% from its highs last summer, in part because people worry that they’ve lost market share as a supplier to NVIDIA. So I need some more clarity in this one. Don’t know how I’m going to get it right now.”
Monolithic Power Systems (NASDAQ:MPWR) designs and sells semiconductor-based power electronics used to manage and convert voltages across a range of electronic systems, including servers, storage, automotive, consumer devices, and communication infrastructure.
12. Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:TYL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 44
Cramer noted that Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:TYL) dominates the public sector software space and remarked:
“In 12th place is Tyler Technologies, up 7,197%. Now here we go again. These guys provide all sorts of software products for public sector customers, think enterprise resource planning, productivity tools, data platforms, cybersecurity solutions, and much, much more.
Now these guys now dominate the public sector software space, they have for a couple years now. A very durable business, company just reported a beat and raise quarter last week. But because their bookings were a little soft, the stock pulled back a bit. I think it could be an excellent buying opportunity.”
Tyler Technologies (NYSE:TYL) provides software and technology services tailored to the public sector, and it also covers areas such as cybersecurity, financial systems, public administration, licensing, property tax, education, courts, and health services.
11. Repligen Corporation (NASDAQ:RGEN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 34
Repligen Corporation (NASDAQ:RGEN) took its place among stocks with the biggest gains since Mad Money started airing, and here’s what Cramer said:
“We’ve got a trio of healthcare names. We’ll actually begin with the 11th best performer because it fell one spot today behind RadNet, which we discussed last night, and that’s Repligen, RGEN. It’s a company that makes high-value bioprocessing products for life sciences and biopharma customers. This one’s up 7,800% since we first went on air. Repligen’s basically an arms dealer to the pharma and biotech space, making critical reagent using all sorts of innovative new treatments like monoclonal antibodies.
This is a stock that rocketed higher during the pandemic, and it’s now been more than cut in half from its highs in late 2021. Even here, it’s pretty expensive though, selling for about 80 times this year’s earnings estimates. So I’m not quite ready to stick my neck out on this one even if I generally like the arms dealers [of] the life sciences industries.”
Repligen (NASDAQ:RGEN) develops and markets bioprocessing technologies. It provides products like Protein A ligands, chromatography tools, filtration systems, and process analytics solutions used in the production and purification of biologics.
10. RadNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:RDNT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 29
Cramer recommended RadNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:RDNT) long-term, as he said:
“Finally, at least for tonight, there’s RadNet. They’ve been on the show a couple times, up 7,873%, the national leader in outpatient imaging centers with a network of 375 locations across the country. There’s a lot of demand for MRI scans that can be done outside of a hospital in a less expensive way.
RadNet wasn’t really on my radar until almost two years ago when someone asked me about it, and I had circled back later after doing some homework. Ultimately, I gave it thumbs up, and the stock’s up 53% since then. Of course, RadNet’s pulled back 45% from its high last year, like so many other stocks. Stock’s still pretty expensive, but if you’ve got a long-term horizon, I think it’s going to work for you.”
RadNet (NASDAQ:RDNT) provides outpatient diagnostic imaging services and develops advanced imaging tools. The company also incorporates AI technology to advance radiology interpretations and aid in cancer detection.
9. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 68
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN) was discussed during the episode, and here’s what Mad Money’s host had to say:
“Rearrange Repligen’s ticker just a bit and you’ll get the ninth best stock of the Mad Money era, Regeneron Pharma, that’s up more than 9,400%. Now this one’s special to me because Regeneron’s co-founder and CEO, Dr. Len Schleifer, he was one of the first guests who ever came on the show back in April 12th, 2005. The stock was trading at less than five bucks a share. Now it’s at $568, and that’s after 6.87% beating today.
Regeneron is arguably the most innovative biopharma company I’ve seen in the last two decades. But the stock’s come in significantly over the past eight months or so, falling more than 50% from its highs. Wall Street’s trying to game the impact of Regeneron first big patent cliff as they lost protection for their EYLEA, that’s a blockbuster treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration. In fact, when Regeneron reported this morning, numbers came up a little short because of an EYLEA miss, which is why the stock got clobbered today.”
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN) develops and markets treatments for different health conditions. The company also focuses on creating new therapies for a range of medical problems.
8. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 95
Cramer called Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) “as relevant as ever” as he commented:
“Eighth best performer of the Mad Money era is Intuitive Surgical, ISRG, the creator of the minimally invasive Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System. This is another name that we found early on. I first interviewed someone from the company back in July of 2005 when the stock was trading at a split-adjusted price of $5 and change.
Since then, we’ve watched this Intuitive Robotic Surgical system… spread across the globe, constantly improving along the way and adding more types of procedures that it could do. The company’s now [a] $184 billion behemoth, and this stock has given you more than 10,000% gain since the show got started. I think this is as relevant as ever. Company just reported an excellent set of numbers last Tuesday. I’m proud to be a huge supporter of this.”
Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG) develops and sells tools used in minimally invasive procedures. The company’s products include the da Vinci Surgical System, the Ion endoluminal platform, surgical instruments, training, and support services.
7. Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 52
Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ:MNST) was mentioned during the episode, and here’s what Cramer had to say:
“In seventh place, with a more than 10,300% gain, is a fun one, Monster Beverage, the energy drink company that was originally known as Hansen Natural before its big rebrand in 2012. Even though the stock’s lost some juice in recent years, the long-term gains here have been staggering, and I pounded the table on this one constantly in the early years.”
Monster Beverage (NASDAQ:MNST) develops, markets, sells, and distributes a wide range of energy drinks, flavored beverages, and alcoholic drinks under various brand names. The company also supplies beverage concentrates and bases to licensed bottlers and canners.
6. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 339
Placing Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) among the biggest winners over the past 20 years, Cramer stated:
“Next, we’re entering cream of the crop territory. In sixth place, we find a Magnificent Seven named Amazon, up more than 10,700% gain in the Mad Money era. When this show began, Amazon was a lowly survivor of the Dot-com bust, growing its e-commerce business nicely, but still barely profitable. Since then, though, it’s grown into a colossus with its sprawling e-commerce business and a bountiful cloud infrastructure division.
Now, as a mega-cap tech giant, Amazon has all sorts of exciting new growth opportunities, from a still underappreciated advertising business to the Prime membership program that’s brought the company into the streaming media space. Much, much more. Amazon reports on Thursday night and while I’m sure there’ll be a lot of talk about tariffs of course, and the state of the consumer, this is one of the few retailers with enough bargaining power to truly mitigate these new import duties and I still like it for the long haul [buy, buy, buy].”
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) operates in e-commerce, paid membership services, and digital advertising.
5. Texas Pacific Land Corporation (NYSE:TPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 28
While Cramer recognized that Texas Pacific Land Corporation (NYSE:TPL) is great, he emphasized that he would not recommend the company right now.
“Fifth place, odd one, Texas Pacific Land Corporation, up nearly 13,000% since we first went on air. It’s a fun story with its origins dating back to the 1800s when a planned railroad line went bankrupt, and the only remaining asset for creditors to take was some land in western Texas. Turns out it was very valuable land sitting on vast reserves of oil and gas. These days, Texas Pacific simply leases its land holdings to oil and gas-related companies or pipeline operators. It’s a great business, but it’s not necessarily one that I want to recommend, with West Texas Crude sinking to $60 a barrel today [Don’t buy, don’t buy, don’t buy].”
Texas Pacific Land (NYSE:TPL) works in land and resource management. The company also provides water services, leases property, and sells materials.
4. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 166
Calling Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) gains “gettable”, Cramer stated:
“Fourth place: Apple, up more than 14,500% since we went on air. The great thing about Apple is these gains were totally gettable, come on. This was the most obvious story in America for years and years. It’s much harder to own here because it’s under fire from the White House for sourcing most of its merchandise from China for the cell phones. But it’s still a terrific illustration of the fact that you don’t need to be a genius to pick winners in this business.”
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) manufactures and sells products such as smartphones, computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories. The company also runs digital platforms, paid subscriptions like Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade, and services including the App Store and Apple Pay.
3. Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 99
Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) was the third best performer since the show first went on air 20 years ago, and Cramer said:
“Third best performer over the last 20 years, Booking Holdings. Yes, the online travel agency formerly known as Priceline, with a stock that’s up a staggering 22,000%. These guys figured out how to dominate the increasingly online travel space and made some very smart acquisitions over the years. Long term, I’m still a believer, although we have to take a hard look after it reported just this very evening.”
Booking Holdings (NASDAQ:BKNG) is a well-known company in online and traditional travel services. The company also offers restaurant reservations and other travel-related options.
2. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 223
Moving on to NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), Cramer commented:
“Second place, okay, a name you know very well from the show, and that’s NVIDIA. Do you know that NVIDIA’s up more than 50,000% since the show began? NVIDIA? It piqued my interest over 15 years ago when it was originally just a maker of graphics cards for video games. Since then, we’ve had the privilege of watching NVIDIA blossom into the king of artificial intelligence and accelerated computing. You know, I named my late dog NVIDIA because I wanted you all to know about it… I say, you bet against NVIDIA at your own peril.”
NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) is widely recognized for its work in graphics, computing, and networking, with a strong focus on its GPUs and the CUDA software platform.
1. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 144
Cramer started his list of winners over the last 20 years with Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) as he said:
“Last, but certainly not least, is Netflix, the best-performing major stock since the show first went on the air. This had a staggering 82,000% gain. You’d be rich by any stretch of the imagination, no matter almost how little you put in when we started the show. Netflix invented the entire streaming video category. It was back in 2005. They were still doing DVD rental by mail and this was another one that I think was incredibly obvious. Netflix has essentially won versus traditional media at this point, but they’re not standing pat, not at all. Still improving the service as much as possible, which is why I bet this one can continue to climb over the long haul [buy, buy, buy].”
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is a streaming platform that provides a wide range of movies, television series, and original programming to millions of users around the world.
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