Benzinga - by Chris Katje, Benzinga Staff Writer.
One of the top performing stocks of the last year has been NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), a semiconductor stock boosted by demand for artificial intelligence products.
The stock recently surpassed the $3 trillion market capitalization club, which helped boost the wealth of CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang. While Huang previously got a tattoo to celebrate a company milestone years ago, there is no tattoo planned to celebrate the company being worth $3 trillion.
What Happened: Shares of Nvidia gained more than 200% in 2023 and are up over 140% year-to-date in 2024. The company continues to post record quarterly results and raise guidance, leading to optimistic forecasts from analysts.
Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and still leads the company today. The soaring stock price helped boost the wealth of Huang and has positioned the Nvidia CEO just outside the top 10 richest people in the world.
Before Nvidia hit a $1 trillion market cap, another milestone was hit years ago, with shares passing the $100 level. That level would be reached several times, with shares splitting multiple times since 2000.
To celebrate the occasion of shares hitting $100, Huang promised company executives he would get the Nvidia logo as a tattoo.
In a 2017 interview with Fortune, Huang revealed the tattoo and shared more details on it.
“So, I really want to extend it. I actually kinda do. I would love to. But getting it really, really hurt,” Huang said.
Huang said his family was with him when he got his tattoo.
“I was crying like a baby. My kids were with me, and they were like, ‘Dad, you’ve gotta control yourself.'”
Huang recalled a semi-annual meeting years ago being the reason for the tattoo.
“And at one, someone said, ‘What are we gonna do when the stock price hits $100?'”
Huang recalled that others said they would shave their head, paint their hair a new color, get a mohawk and even get a nipple ring.
“So I said, ‘Yeah all right, I’ll get a tattoo.'”
The first online image of Huang’s tattoo comes from the Nvidia Gaming Festival, with a post on Nvidia’s Instagram on Oct. 25, 2014.
“NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsu Huang shows off his NVDIA tattoo at the NVIDIA Gaming Festival,” the post reads.
It is unknown when exactly Huang got his tattoo, but it doesn’t sound like there will be more added to his arms anytime soon.
“Ageing gracefully. No more tattoos. It hurts way more than anybody tells you,” Huang said in a 2023 interview.
Related Link: When Will Nvidia Be The Most Valuable Company In The World?
Investing $1,000 in Nvidia Stock: Although the exact date of Huang’s tattoo is unknown, the date it was first unveiled to the public can serve as a starting point.
The Nvidia Instagram post with Huang’s tattoo was shared on Oct. 25, 2014, which fell on the weekend. Shares opened at a split-adjusted $0.46 the following Monday.
A $1,000 investment could have bought 2,173.91 NVDA shares. The $1,000 investment would be worth $262,803.98 today. This represents a potential return of 26,180.40%.
Compare that to a $1,000 investment in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY), which could have bought 5.11 SPY shares at the time. The $1,000 investment would be worth $2,728.79 today, representing a potential return of 172.9%.
The 26,180.40% return since Huang's tattoo widely beats the 172.9% return of the S&P 500 ETF over the same time period.
Read Next: Nancy Pelosi’s Nvidia Payday: Cashed In Big, But Missed Out By Selling Early
Photo: Shutterstock
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