Nvidia (NVDA) has spent the last three years as the loudest success story in the stock market. Its climb turned it into a household name well beyond Wall Street trading desks, and its chips have become shorthand for the entire artificial intelligence boom. Nvidia stock is barely beating the S&P 500 in 2026Nvidia shares have gained 12% so far in 2026, Motley Fool reported. Nvidia stock climbed 239% in 2023, 171% in 2024, and 39% in 2025, three straight years of returns most companies never see once, let alone in a session. Since late July 2021, shares are still up 978% overall, a figure few investors anywhere on Wall Street can match.