What was Disney's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2015?

Disney's CAGR from 2015 to September 2026 was 1.8% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. However, this came with substantially higher volatility and drawdown risk.

How does Disney compare to the S&P 500 since 2015?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2015 would be worth approximately $4,565.82 today. Disney underperformed the S&P 500 by $3,325.79.

How much of the Disney gain would you keep after taxes?

Sold today, the $240.03 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $1,204.02. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $1,182.90, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.

What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Disney since 2015?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2015, the real purchasing-power value of the Disney position is approximately $901.49 in 2015 dollars. After inflation, the investment has lost purchasing power compared with the original amount.

How did Disney perform in 2015?

Disney rose 11% during 2015, from $84.72 at the start of the year to $94.20 at the start of 2016.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Disney in 2015?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$1,240

+$240.03 profit1.24x1.8% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $4,566

Its shares paid about $17.71 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$1,204

US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.

Compare with

Growth Over Time

Performance Metrics

Total Invested

$1,000.00

Current Value

$1,240.03

Total Profit

$240.03

Multiplier

1.24x

CAGR

1.8%

Max Drawdown

-57.1%

Inflation-Adjusted

$901.49

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2015 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Disney	$1,240.03	1.24x
S&P 500	$4,565.82	4.57x
Gold	$3,548.31	3.55x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,261.85	1.26x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 11.80 shares you'd own now paid about $17.71 in dividends (about $1.48 a month). That's 1.8% of the $1,000 put in.

Price growth alone turned $1,000 into $1,120; reinvested dividends added the other $119.54, 50% of the gain.

Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.

Back in 2015

In December 2015, Disney's Star Wars: The Force Awakens passed $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales faster than any film before it, in just twelve days. variety.com
In 2015, a gallon of gas averaged $2.43, a movie ticket averaged $8.43 and the new iPhone 6s started at $649 without a contract. eia.gov fonearena.com thewrap.com
During 2015 itself, Disney rose 11%, #26 of the 82 investments we track. The best was Netflix (+121%); the worst was Chipotle (−34%). Full 2015 results →

$1,000 in Disney, year by year

Of the 82 investments we track that were available at the start of 2015, Disney ranks #78 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind PayPal and ahead of Alibaba. See the full 2015 ranking →

Disney started 2015 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 24% in 2014. It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Its best January was 2021, at $2,033. Today it's 39% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 8 of the 11 full years since. It fell behind the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2018 and hasn't caught up. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Feb 2021 ($2,156) to Sep 2023 ($924.32), a drop of 57%. At its lowest month-end, in Sep 2023, it was worth $924.32.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2015	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2016	$1,112	+11%	$1,014
Start of 2017	$1,163	+4.6%	$1,135
Start of 2018	$1,244	+7.0%	$1,383
Start of 2019	$1,232	−1.0%	$1,322
Start of 2020	$1,696	+38%	$1,739
Start of 2021	$2,033	+20%	$2,058
Start of 2022	$1,794	−12%	$2,649
Start of 2023	$1,018	−43%	$2,170
Start of 2024	$1,042	+2.3%	$2,740
Start of 2025	$1,284	+23%	$3,425
Start of 2026	$1,310	+2.1%	$4,038
Today	$1,240	−5.4%	$4,566

Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.

Historical Context

At the start of 2015, Disney was priced at $84.72 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 11.80 shares. Disney owns theme parks, film studios, ESPN and the Disney+ streaming service.

Measured from one January to the next, Disney's best year since then was 2019 (+38%) and its worst was 2022 (−43%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2021 and the start of 2023, the position fell 50% from its high.

Frequently Asked Questions

A $1,000 investment in Disney at the start of 2015 would be worth approximately $1,240.03 today — a 1.24x return ($240.03 profit) over 11.7 years.

Methodology & Sources

Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.

Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2015 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.

Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2015 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.

Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.

Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.