What was Disney's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2019?

Disney's CAGR from 2019 to September 2026 was 0.1% 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 2019?

The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2019 would be worth approximately $3,453.01 today. Disney underperformed the S&P 500 by $2,446.54.

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

Sold today, the $6.47 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $1,005.50. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $1,004.93, 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 2019?

Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2019, the real purchasing-power value of the Disney position is approximately $789.43 in 2019 dollars. After inflation, the investment has lost purchasing power compared with the original amount.

How did Disney perform in 2019?

Disney rose 38% during 2019, from $104.38 at the start of the year to $143.69 at the start of 2020.

What If You Invested $1,000 in Disney in 2019?

Try your own numbers

If I had putintoat the start of…

it would be worth today

$1,006

+$6.47 profit1.01x0.1% a year

The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $3,453

Its shares paid about $14.37 in dividends over the last 12 months.

Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$1,005

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

$1,006.47

Total Profit

$6.47

Multiplier

1.01x

CAGR

0.1%

Max Drawdown

-57.1%

Inflation-Adjusted

$789.43

Benchmark Comparison

How does $1,000.00 invested in 2019 compare across different asset classes?

Asset	Value Today	Return
Disney	$1,006.47	1.01x
S&P 500	$3,453.01	3.45x
Gold	$3,277.07	3.28x
Savings (2% APY)	$1,165.76	1.17x

Dividends

Over the last 12 months, the 9.58 shares you'd own now paid about $14.37 in dividends (about $1.20 a month). That's 1.4% of the $1,000 put in.

Without reinvesting dividends, it would be worth $964.09 instead of $1,006.

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

Back in 2019

In November 2019, Disney launched its Disney+ streaming service, which signed up 10 million users within about a day of its debut. techcrunch.com
In 2019, a gallon of gas averaged $2.60, a movie ticket averaged $9.16 and the new iPhone 11 Pro started at $999. eia.gov apple.com hollywoodreporter.com
During 2019 itself, Disney rose 38%, #39 of the 100 investments we track. The best was Chainlink (+511%); the worst was Stellar (−60%). Full 2019 results →

$1,000 in Disney, year by year

Of the 100 investments we track that were available at the start of 2019, Disney ranks #91 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind Pfizer and ahead of Snap. See the full 2019 ranking →

Disney started 2019 1% below its start-of-2018 high, after a roughly flat 2018. It was worth less than the $1,000 put in at the start of 2023 and 2024, and has been above it since the start of 2025. Its best January was 2021, at $1,650. Today it's 39% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 5 of the 7 full years since. It fell behind the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at the start of 2022 and hasn't caught up. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Feb 2021 ($1,750) to Sep 2023 ($750.23), a drop of 57%. At its lowest month-end, in Sep 2023, it was worth $750.23.

When	Worth	Change	S&P 500
Start of 2019	$1,000	—	$1,000
Start of 2020	$1,377	+38%	$1,315
Start of 2021	$1,650	+20%	$1,557
Start of 2022	$1,456	−12%	$2,004
Start of 2023	$826	−43%	$1,641
Start of 2024	$845	+2.3%	$2,072
Start of 2025	$1,042	+23%	$2,591
Start of 2026	$1,063	+2.1%	$3,054
Today	$1,006	−5.4%	$3,453

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 2019, Disney was priced at $104.38 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 9.58 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 2019 would be worth approximately $1,006.47 today — a 1.01x return ($6.47 profit) over 7.7 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 2019 (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 of2019 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.