As Good As Meta Stock Is, These 14 Companies Did Better

Published: January 19, 2026 by Austin Smith

Key Points

Meta Platforms has been a good investment but it isn’t the top performing stock (based on five-year returns).
Other tech names boasted 5-year returns higher than Meta’s 155.67%. The top performer returned 1,271.48%.
All of these tech stocks are benefiting from the explosion of the AI industry.
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Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is up an impressive 155.67% in the last five years. The AI rally boosted the stock to double what investors were paying during the peak of the 2021 tech bubble.

But the stock is down 2.75% year to date. It seems investor skepticism is due to two main factors. The first one is that while Meta’s advertising business has been pulling stellar numbers, the hype can fade. Ads are cyclical, and even “AI-targeted” ads are likely to plateau at some point. The second factor is that Meta’s growth has been largely AI-focused, and the company has been paying for the AI buildout with cash from its balance sheet.

While Meta has had a good run, here are tech companies that did even better — some much better. All are tied in some way to the artificial intelligence boom.

#14 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Limited (TSM)

Taiwan Semiconductor has a five-year return of 170.61%, as of Jan. 12. The high-end chip manufacturer continues to benefit from the AI boom, and analysts expect a strong earnings report in mid January. The company has a market cap of $1.721 trillion.

#13 Palo Alto Networks Inc. (PANW)

This multinational cybersecurity firm was a stock winner in the last five years, rising 205.9%. Year to date, the stock is up 2.54%. Analysts foresee strong revenue growth in 2026. Palo Alto has a market cap of $129.191 billion.

#12 Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT)

Applied Materials, another semiconductor company, boasts a five-year return of 207.21%. The firm is riding a rally among chip manufacturers in 2026, up 19.55% year to date. Applied Materials has a market cap of $244.76 billion.

#11 Dell Technologies Inc. (DELL)

The well-known PC manufacturer also provides AI infrastructure, servers, and storage. Its stock rose 209.69% in the last five years. Dell has a market cap of $80.739 billion.

#10 Oracle Corp. (ORCL)

Oracle is up 227.91% in the five-year period. Positioned strongly in the AI-infrastructure market, the company is up 5.01% year to date. It has a market cap of $588.072 billion.

#9 Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL)

Alphabet continues to soar, with GOOG returning 281.01% in the last five years and GOOGL returning 282.01%. The search and AI giant has a market cap topping $4 trillion (currently larger than Apple).

#8 Lam Research Corp. (LRCX)

It may not be a household name, but Lam Research was up a whopping 310.86% in the last five years. The stock is up 28.75% year to date. The company designs, manufactures, and services semiconductor processing equipment used in the fabrication of integrated circuits. It has a market cap of $277.932 billion.

#7 Amphenol Corp. (APH)

U.S.-based Amphenol is up 330.15% in the last five years, and 7.38% year to date. The company produces electronic and fiber optic connectors, cable systems and antenna solutions. It has a market cap of $177.623 billion.

#6 Micron Technology Inc. (MU)

Micron Technology returned 335.28% in the last five years, and is up 21.18% year to date. The designer and manufacturer of memory and storage products is expected to benefit from the huge demand presented by artificial intelligence. The company has a market cap of $389.28 billion.

#5 KLA Corp. (KLAC)

With a market cap of $188.068 billion, KLA is a semiconductor manufacturing equipment maker. Its stock skyrocketed 390.8% in the last five years.

#4 Arista Networks Inc. (ANET)

This American computer networking company is up 524.36% in the last five years. Its presence in the AI and cloud sectors have powered this phenomenal growth. It has a market cap of $155.421 billion.

#3 Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR)

Palantir returned 585.29% in the last five years. This leading AI company provides analytical software that focuses on leveraging data to create efficiencies in clients’ organizations, which include government agencies and the private sector. Palantir has a market cap of $427.612 billion.

#2 Broadcom Inc. (AVGO)

Broadcom stock is up 683.75% in the five-year period. The maker of semiconductor and infrastructure software products has a market cap of $1.67 trillion. Analysts are predicting strong revenue growth for this year.

#1 Nvidia Corp. (NVDA)

This stock market darling returned 1,271.48% in the last five years. Nvidia continues to make AI headlines with new deals and developments. It has the largest market cap of any company, weighing in at $4.503 trillion.