20 Best-Performing Tech Stocks in the Past Decade

In the 1990s, tech stocks were all the rage — until the bottom fell out at the beginning of the next decade. Many investors devastated in that meltdown swore of tech stocks forever.

But perhaps that was a mistake. Many tech stocks have been top performers over the past 10 years. Using data from Morningstar, GOBankingRates.com looked at the top-performing tech stocks over the 10-year period ended June 30.

In our analysis, we examined the top 20 tech-sector stocks for which there was sufficient public information. Although the results might tempt you into buying these stocks, remember that predicting stock performance is notoriously difficult, and past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Nothing here should be construed as any sort of recommendation to buy or sell any of these stocks.

Ticker: SGLB

Annualized total return past 10 years: 75.93 percent

Recent closing price: $2.85 per share

52-week high: $80 per share

52-week low: $2.45 per share

CEO: Richard Mah

Sigma Labs provides 3-D printing products and services. It develops manufacturing and materials technologies, and research and development solutions for private companies and federal government entities.

The stock experienced virtually all of its growth from mid-2009 to mid-2010.

Ticker: ALPE

Annualized total return past 10 years: 58.91 percent

Recent closing price: $3.06 per share

52-week high: $4.96 per share

52-week low: $0.17 per share

CEO: Steven M. Fludder

Formerly known as Avenue Entertainment Group and founded in 1969, this company has developed “the first process for the production of lithium metal at room temperature using clean technology,” according to the company website.

Until the past year, the stock’s price had not risen above $1. Almost all of the past decade’s gains have come over the past 12 months, when the stock’s total return has been 1,300 percent. It is not clear why the stock price has increased so precipitously over the past year.

Ticker: EBIX

Annualized total return past 10 years: 36.98 percent

Recent closing price: $49.14 per share

52-week high: $49.92 per share

52-week low: $19.78 per share

CEO: Robin Raina

Ebix describes itself as an “international supplier of on-demand software and e-commerce services to the insurance, financial and healthcare industries.” It has more than 40 offices across Brazil, Singapore, Australia, the U.S., the United Kingdom, New Zealand, India and Canada.

The stock has experienced some pronounced ups and downs. Big years include total returns of 161.86 percent in 2007, 104.31 percent in 2009 and 94.76 percent in 2015. This is balanced by three years of losses between 2011 and 2013.

Ticker: BIDU

Annualized total return past 10 years: 34.94 percent

Recent closing price: $158.90 per share

52-week high: $217.97 per share

52-week low: $100 per share

CEO: Robin Li

Baidu is a Chinese-language internet search provider. Some think the company has the potential for continued growth as there is still a large, untapped advertiser base in China. Two other large search engine competitors also compete with Baidu in the Chinese search engine market, although Baidu is currently the dominant player.

The stock has experienced solid, but sometimes bumpy growth since 2009.

Ticker: VHC

Annualized total return past 10 years: 31.1 percent

Recent closing price: $3.96 per share

52-week high: $9.64 per share

52-week low: $1.95 per share

CEO: Kendall Larsen

VirnetX is an internet security software and technology company. The stock price saw solid growth from 2009 to 2012, followed by significant losses from 2013 to 2015. Through the first half of 2016, the stock’s total return was 55.64 percent.

Ticker: TYL

Annualized total return past 10 years: 31 percent

Recent closing price: $169.12 per share

52-week high: $184.01 per share

52-week low: $118.16 per share

CEO: John S. Marr

Tyler says it is the nation’s largest software company strictly focused on providing integrated software and technology services to public sector entities such as cities, counties, states and school districts.

The stock price has exhibited solid growth since 2009, including a total return of almost 111 percent in 2013.

Ticker: CLFD

Annualized total return past 10 years: 29.68 percent

Recent closing price: $17.67 per share

52-week high: $20.28 per share

52-week low: $11.59 per share

CEO: Cheri Beranek

Clearfield designs, manufactures and distributes fiber optic management products.

The stock’s solid returns over the past decade have been highlighted by a total return of more than 350 percent in 2013 and 150 percent in 2009.

Ticker: MANH

Annualized total return past 10 years: 28.88 percent

Recent closing price: $67.29 per share

52-week high: $77.45 per share

52-week low: $44.14 per share

CEO: Eddie Capel

Manhattan Associates develops, sells, deploys, services and maintains software solutions. The stock’s solid returns over the past decade have been fueled by solid annual returns each year, beginning in 2009 and running through 2015.

Ticker: AAPL

Annualized total return past 10 years: 28.83 percent

Recent closing price: $96.68 per share

52-week high: $132.97 per share

52-week low: $89.47 per share

CEO: Tim Cook

Beginning investors likely want to find a well-known company, and Apple is one of the most recognizable names in American business. Its story — starting with late founder Steve Jobs — has been well-documented.

Early shareholders of the company who held on have earned tremendous returns. The stock had a down year in 2015 and again so far in 2016.

Ticker: CRM

Annualized total return past 10 years: 28.12 percent

Recent closing price: $80.89 per share

52-week high: $84.48 per share

52-week low: $52.60 per share

CEO: Marc Benioff

Salesforce.com is a cloud computing company. The stock has rallied nicely since reaching a low point of around $7 per share in late 2008.

Ticker: SWKS

Annualized total return past 10 years: 27.98 percent

Recent closing price: $62.91 per share

52-week high: $106.50 per share

52-week low: $54.50 per share

CEO: Donald Palette

Skyworks Solutions focuses on high-reliability analog and mixed signal semiconductors. The stock’s 10-year returns have been fueled in large part by triple-digit total returns in 2009, 2010 and 2014.

Ticker: ULTI

Annualized total return past 10 years: 27.07 percent

Recent closing price: $215.80 per share

52-week high: $217.32 per share

52-week low: $148.26 per share

CEO: Scott Scherr

Ultimate Software provides cloud-based human capital management help to businesses. The stock has continued to show solid annual gains each year since the depths of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.

Ticker: SPNS

Annualized total return past 10 years: 25.32 percent

Recent closing price: $12.12 per share

52-week high: $12.76 per share

52-week low: $8.93 per share

CEO: Roni Al-Dor

Sapiens International provides software solutions for the insurance industry. It also has a growing focus on the financial services sector.

Sapiens International stock recorded a total return of more than 60 percent in 2008, during the depths of the financial crisis. Following a down year in 2009, the stock has shown fairly steady annual appreciation.

Ticker: NPSNY

Annualized total return past 10 years: 24.57 percent

Recent closing price: $14.77 per share

52-week high: $15.87 per share

52-week low: $10.44 per share

CEO: Jacobus Petrus Bekker

Naspers is a global internet and entertainment group. Following a 126 percent total return for the stock in 2009, shares have continued to show growth.

Ticker: NTES

Annualized total return past 10 years: 24.5 percent

Recent closing price: $185.13 per share

52-week high: $193.44 per share

52-week low: $102.80 per share

CEO: William Lei Ding

NetEase is a Chinese internet company that provides Chinese-language content. The company is a leader in online gaming and launched a stock buy-back program in September 2015. The stock has delivered a total return in excess of 35 percent over the past 12 months, and 46 percent on average for the past three years.

Ticker: SLP

Annualized total return past 10 years: 24.05 percent

Recent closing price: $7.71 per share

52-week high: $11.89 per share

52-week low: $6.01 per share

CEO: Walter Woltosz

According to a company bio on MarketWatch, Simulations Plus is “a developer of groundbreaking drug discovery and development software for mechanistic modeling and simulation.”

The stock’s total return was down 22.7 percent for the first six months of 2016, so the 10-year gains are in spite of this setback in the stock price.

Ticker: PEGA

Annualized total return past 10 years: 24.04 percent

Recent closing price: $27.43 per share

52-week high: $30.23 per share

52-week low: $20.38 per share

CEO: Alan Trefler

Pegasystems develops software for customer relationship management and business process management.

The stock’s gain over the past 10 years has been marked by some significant up years. Such years include 2009, when the stock’s total return was 176 percent; and 2013, which saw a 113 percent total return.

This time frame has also seen losses such as 19 percent in 2011, 22 percent in 2012 and 15 percent in 2014. Longer-term shareholders have been rewarded, but the ride has been bumpy at times.

Ticker: OTEX

Annualized total return past 10 years: 23.92 percent

Recent closing price: $58.93 per share

52-week high: $61.97 per share

52-week low: $36.65 per share

CEO: P. Thomas Jenkins

Open Text is a software company that provides enterprise information management software. Investors are always trying to find stocks that do not decline, and lately Open Text has fit the bill. The stock has exhibited solid gains over the past decade, with positive total returns in eight of the past 10 calendar years.

Ticker: AYI

Annualized total return past 10 years: 22.83 percent

Recent closing price: $264.71 per share

52-week high: $270.98 per share

52-week low: $168.33 per share

CEO: Vernon J. Nagel

Acuity Brands provides LED lighting, lighting controls and related products. The stock’s price has gained at least 28 percent annually since 2010, with the exception of a loss in value for the year in 2011. The stock was up more than 6 percent for the first half of 2016.

Ticker: ARMH

Annualized total return past 10 years: 22.43 percent

Recent closing price: $45.40 per share

52-week high: $51.23 per share

52-week low: $36.68 per share

CEO: Phillip Davis

ARM Holdings is a British semiconductor and software design company. The stock’s price gains have been fueled by returns of 125 percent in 2009 and 143 percent in 2010. More recently, the stock has been flat to down over the past 2 ½ years.