10 of the Best Performing Stocks Since the Launch of Jim Cramer’s ‘Mad Money’

With “Mad Money” moving to the New York Stock Exchange, Jim Cramer on Monday reviewed some of the best-performing stocks since his show launched on CNBC more than 17 years ago.

Here is a quick overview of the criteria used to compile the list:

• The stock is currently a member of the S&P 500.
• It was a publicly traded company when “Mad Money” first aired in March 2005.
• The list was ranked by a simple gain/loss percentage calculation, not by total return (which includes dividends).
• Gains were calculated based on the stock’s closing price from March 14, 2005 to Friday’s close.

Now, here are 10 of the best performing stocks since “Mad Money” was on TV:

Netflix takes the cake, with its shares up 13,853% since the launch of “Mad Money”. Cramer noted that the streaming video pioneer has held onto the top spot, even with its steep year-to-date declines.

The next is Apple, which saw its share price rise by 10,321%, as of Friday, when “Mad Money” was on television. “In 2005, I was recommending it on the strength of the iPod, but then they invented the iPhone and the rest is history,” Cramer said.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, whose CEO Leonard Schleifer was one of the first guests to appear on “Mad Money,” has gained more than 10,000% since the show’s debut.

The energy drink maker is the fourth best performer, gaining 8,444% over the aforementioned period.

The company formerly known as Priceline has “beaten its competitors in the online travel space,” Cramer said. Since “Mad Money” debuted on CNBC through Friday, the stock has risen 7,599%.

chip designer Nvidia gained 7,211% between the March 14, 2005 close and Friday. As with Netflix, Nvidia’s giant bull run includes the stock’s struggles since its all-time high in November.

The e-commerce and cloud computing giant is the seventh-best gainer, up 6,463% over the specified time window. Cramer noted that the stock’s gains would have been even more impressive had it not been for its roughly 32% year-to-date decline.

Shares of a biotechnology company Illumina was up 4,918% between the March 14, 2005 close and Friday.

Monolithic Power Systems designs integrated circuits that are used for power management, and some of the semiconductor company’s largest end markets include the automotive, computing and storage industries. The stock is up 4,784% on Friday since “Mad Money” debuted on CNBC.

Tyler Technologies is a software maker that essentially helps cities and towns go digital. Shares of the company gained 4,642% during the aforementioned window.

Cramer said some of the top-performing stocks may seem obvious in hindsight. Either way, he said the exercise shows the power of staying true to the market even during turbulent times like the 2007-2009 global financial crisis. He said the lesson is particularly valuable to take away this year, as the market has struggled amid a cycle of Federal Reserve tightening and geopolitical uncertainty.

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