If You Invested in These Penny Stocks That Went Gangbusters in 1993, You’d Be Rich Today
Written by
Kerra Bolton
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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The year 1993 was a cultural turning point. “Jurassic Park” ruled theaters, families logged onto AOL for the first time, and the internet was just beginning to leave universities and enter homes.
Wall Street wasn’t paying much attention to penny stocks, but a few unlikely underdogs were quietly laying the groundwork for explosive growth.
If you had invested $1,000 in these companies back then and held until today, here’s how much you’d have now.
Monster Beverage
In 1993, Monster Beverage, then Hansen’s Natural, was an obscure juice and soda maker. Its stock traded for just a few cents, with split-adjusted prices around $0.05 per share.
A $1,000 investment at that price would have bought about 20,000 shares. As of today, Monster trades at $64.59 per share, making that stake worth roughly $1,291,800.
From penny stock to global energy drink powerhouse, Monster is one of the most dramatic success stories of the past three decades.
Marvel Entertainment
In the early 1990s, Marvel was already struggling as comic book sales collapsed. The comic book giant filed for bankruptcy in 1996, and by December 2000 its stock price dropped to $0.96 per share. At the time, few would have guessed it had any future at all.
A $1,000 investment near $1 would have bought about 1,000 shares. When Disney acquired Marvel in 2009, shareholders received $30 in cash plus 0.745 Disney shares per Marvel share. That means those 1,000 Marvel shares turned into $30,000 in cash plus 745 Disney shares.
As of today, Disney stock trades at $114 a share, so those Disney shares are worth $84,194. Add the $30,000 cash payout, and the total comes to about $114,194.
Marvel’s evolution from bankruptcy penny stock to blockbuster movie empire shows how even the weakest companies can stage historic comebacks.
Qualcomm
Today, Qualcomm is one of the most important companies in the world of mobile technology. Its Snapdragon processors power most of the smartphones people use every day, making it a critical player in the global tech economy. But in 1993, few outside the engineering world had even heard of it.
Back then, Qualcomm’s stock traded near $1 per share on a split-adjusted basis. A $1,000 investment at that price would have bought about 1,000 shares.
As of today, Qualcomm trades at $169.31 per share. That original stake would now be worth roughly $169,310.
Qualcomm’s rise from a little-known penny stock to a global leader in wireless technology shows how companies tied to emerging industries can deliver massive returns over time.
The Takeaway for Investors Today
Monster, Marvel and Qualcomm looked like underdogs in 1993. Monster was a struggling beverage maker, Marvel was bankrupt and Qualcomm was a scrappy telecom startup. Investors who took the risk and held on were rewarded with staggering returns.
By comparison, a $1,000 investment in the S&P 500 in 1993 would be worth about $9,000 today with dividends reinvested (DQYDJ). Solid growth, but nowhere near the life-changing gains these penny stocks delivered.
The lesson for investors isn’t to buy any stock just because it’s cheap. Most penny stocks never recover. However, history shows that companies with strong ideas, resilient leadership and the ability to adapt can transform from long shots into market leaders. Spotting those underdogs early, the Monsters, Marvels and Qualcomms of tomorrow, is where fortunes are made.
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