# ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed AAPL (Apple)

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-aapl
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

AAPL (Apple Inc.) screened against the entire market of over 10,000 stocks and ETFs over 8 periods from 1 month to 10 years, with dividends reinvested. To make the list, an investment had to outperform AAPL in at least 3 of 5 short-term periods and 2 of 3 long-term periods. "All-weather" means outperforming in every long-term period and all but one short-term period. Returns in the tables are total returns over each period; volatility and Sharpe ratio cover 5 years.

## Key findings

- How hard it was to top AAPL: Apple was difficult to outpace consistently. Of 958 eligible ETFs, 4 (0.4%) outperformed in at least 3 of 5 short-term periods and 2 of 3 long-term periods, and none were all-weather. Of 1,501 eligible stocks, 99 (6.6%) met the consistency rule, while 14 were all-weather. The screen covered over 10,000 stocks and ETFs.
- Who came out ahead across the three groups:
  - Popular alternatives: None of the popular alternatives made the list. INTC outperformed in 3 of 5 short-term periods but only 1 of 3 long-term periods, while XLK and DXJ each managed 2 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term periods. VOO, IVV, and SPY, which track the same index, each outperformed in 0 of 5 short-term and 0 of 3 long-term periods.
  - Top ETFs: Commodities and energy featured among the leading ETF categories, alongside technology. All 4 qualifying ETFs outperformed in 2 of 3 long-term periods; BNO and CRAK also outperformed in all 5 short-term periods, while EWT and UGA did so in 4 of 5.
  - Top stocks: 99 stocks qualified, and 14 were all-weather. The leading names came from healthcare, energy, technology, consumer discretionary, and industrials. NTRA and CORT from healthcare, MPC from energy, and AMD from technology each outperformed in all 3 long-term periods and all but one or fewer short-term periods.
- The risk trade-off: Over 5 years, the top ETFs had median volatility similar to AAPL's, and about half were less volatile. All 4 had higher Sharpe ratios, a measure of return relative to risk. The top stocks had median volatility roughly double or more than AAPL's, and 6 of 10 had higher Sharpe ratios, so the stronger returns often came with a bumpier ride.

## How popular alternatives compare

| Investment | Status | Periods outperformed | 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatility | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AAPL: Apple Inc. (benchmark) |  |  | +0.2% | +4.0% | +24.6% | +25.6% | +29.9% | +99.0% | +133% | +1,168% | 28.0% | 0.75 |
| [XLK](https://easycompare.io/research/xlk): State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | Fell short | 2/5 short, 2/3 long | −4.8% | +5.7% | +20.3% | +29.0% | +29.3% | +131% | +143% | +767% | 26.0% | 0.82 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | Fell short | 2/5 short, 2/3 long | 0.0% | +4.7% | +9.9% | +25.0% | +36.4% | +127% | +225% | +428% | 19.1% | 1.34 |
| [INTC](https://easycompare.io/research/intc): Intel Corp. | Fell short | 3/5 short, 1/3 long | −24.7% | −5.5% | +39.6% | +133% | +141% | +167% | +79.8% | +219% | 55.6% | 0.49 |
| [VGT](https://easycompare.io/research/vgt): Vanguard Information Technology ETF | Fell short | 2/5 short, 1/3 long | −4.2% | +6.3% | +19.1% | +27.6% | +26.7% | +138% | +133% | +779% | 26.0% | 0.78 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | Fell short | 2/5 short, 1/3 long | +1.6% | +5.1% | +5.8% | +16.0% | +21.3% | +110% | +53.8% | +548% | 36.6% | 0.42 |
| [CSCO](https://easycompare.io/research/csco): Cisco Systems, Inc. | Fell short | 2/5 short, 1/3 long | −3.9% | −3.2% | +22.6% | +42.2% | +53.8% | +118% | +118% | +374% | 26.1% | 0.73 |
| [QQQ](https://easycompare.io/research/qqq): Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | Fell short | 0/5 short, 1/3 long | −3.2% | +3.2% | +11.2% | +17.4% | +17.9% | +106% | +97.2% | +553% | 23.0% | 0.71 |
| ONEQ: Fidelity Nasdaq Composite Index ETF | Fell short | 0/5 short, 1/3 long | −2.5% | +3.7% | +8.6% | +14.4% | +15.9% | +107% | +83.6% | +453% | 22.5% | 0.65 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | Fell short | 3/5 short, 0/3 long | +6.0% | +32.5% | +27.7% | +13.2% | +3.8% | +66.6% | +80.3% | +946% | 28.2% | 0.56 |
| [VOO](https://easycompare.io/research/voo): Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | Fell short | 0/5 short, 0/3 long | −0.6% | +3.9% | +9.1% | +13.5% | +15.8% | +89.7% | +82.3% | +324% | 16.9% | 0.80 |
| [IVV](https://easycompare.io/research/ivv): iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Fell short | 0/5 short, 0/3 long | −0.6% | +3.9% | +9.1% | +13.5% | +15.8% | +89.7% | +82.3% | +324% | 17.0% | 0.80 |
| [SPY](https://easycompare.io/research/spy): State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | Fell short | 0/5 short, 0/3 long | −0.6% | +3.9% | +9.1% | +13.5% | +15.8% | +89.3% | +81.7% | +321% | 17.1% | 0.79 |
| [VTI](https://easycompare.io/research/vti): Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF | Fell short | 0/5 short, 0/3 long | −0.8% | +3.2% | +8.3% | +13.1% | +15.2% | +87.9% | +72.6% | +302% | 17.5% | 0.71 |

## ETFs that consistently outperformed AAPL

| Investment | Periods outperformed | 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatility | Sharpe | Expense | Assets |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AAPL: Apple Inc. (benchmark) |  | +0.2% | +4.0% | +24.6% | +25.6% | +29.9% | +99.0% | +133% | +1,168% | 28.0% | 0.75 |  |  |
| BNO: United States Brent Oil Fund LP | 5/5 short, 2/3 long | +13.6% | +35.6% | +40.9% | +137% | +141% | +108% | +196% | +348% | 37.1% | 0.77 | 1.15% | $768M |
| CRAK: VanEck Oil Refiners ETF | 5/5 short, 2/3 long | +1.6% | +20.3% | +41.5% | +73.9% | +81.5% | +121% | +146% | +336% | 20.9% | 0.97 | 0.61% | $810M |
| EWT: iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 4/5 short, 2/3 long | −7.2% | +11.9% | +28.4% | +65.7% | +69.7% | +195% | +153% | +468% | 24.2% | 0.89 | 0.59% | $12B |
| UGA: United States Gasoline Fund, LP | 4/5 short, 2/3 long | −0.9% | +16.9% | +40.5% | +130% | +130% | +111% | +221% | +399% | 35.1% | 0.84 | 1.08% | $167M |

## Stocks that consistently outperformed AAPL

| Investment | Periods outperformed | 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatility | Sharpe | Market cap |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AAPL: Apple Inc. (benchmark) |  | +0.2% | +4.0% | +24.6% | +25.6% | +29.9% | +99.0% | +133% | +1,168% | 28.0% | 0.75 |  |
| [NTRA](https://easycompare.io/research/ntra): Natera, Inc. | 5/5 short, 3/3 long, all-weather | +9.5% | +54.6% | +95.4% | +77.4% | +115% | +896% | +261% | +3,841% | 57.6% | 0.74 | $59B |
| CORT: Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated | 5/5 short, 3/3 long, all-weather | +2.4% | +27.2% | +151% | +205% | +48.2% | +317% | +498% | +1,593% | 75.9% | 0.81 | $13B |
| CVI: CVR Energy, Inc. | 5/5 short, 3/3 long, all-weather | +16.4% | +79.1% | +106% | +147% | +78.5% | +115% | +304% | +1,424% | 52.3% | 0.80 | $6.2B |
| [MPC](https://easycompare.io/research/mpc): Marathon Petroleum Corporation | 5/5 short, 3/3 long, all-weather | +18.1% | +51.1% | +123% | +191% | +159% | +234% | +690% | +1,387% | 33.4% | 1.41 | $133B |
| WSM: Williams-Sonoma, Inc. | 5/5 short, 3/3 long, all-weather | +12.2% | +14.1% | +26.5% | +37.0% | +35.6% | +238% | +199% | +1,268% | 44.4% | 0.71 | $30B |
| [AMD](https://easycompare.io/research/amd): Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. | 4/5 short, 3/3 long, all-weather | −13.1% | +6.2% | +94.5% | +139% | +122% | +425% | +359% | +7,583% | 57.6% | 0.82 | $873B |
| [DELL](https://easycompare.io/research/dell): Dell Technologies Inc. | 4/5 short, 3/3 long, all-weather | −19.6% | +21.3% | +127% | +265% | +217% | +636% | +800% | +3,701% | 54.4% | 1.08 | $294B |
| BWLP: BW LPG Limited | 4/5 short, 3/3 long, all-weather | −1.7% | +22.6% | +44.0% | +117% | +136% | +230% | +958% | +2,672% | 50.9% | 1.19 | $3.8B |
| [FTNT](https://easycompare.io/research/ftnt): Fortinet, Inc. | 4/5 short, 3/3 long, all-weather | −2.5% | +6.6% | +107% | +119% | +101% | +203% | +156% | +2,626% | 44.8% | 0.65 | $125B |
| [MRVL](https://easycompare.io/research/mrvl): Marvell Technology, Inc. | 4/5 short, 3/3 long, all-weather | −6.6% | +23.4% | +62.7% | +169% | +181% | +390% | +264% | +1,874% | 65.2% | 0.72 | $211B |

## What stands out

The ETF leaders were concentrated in commodities, energy, and technology, while the stocks that stayed ahead came from a broader mix of sectors. The strongest stock results included healthcare companies NTRA and CORT, energy companies CVI and MPC, and technology companies AMD and DELL. Their lead was not only recent: these names outperformed in all 3 long-term periods as well as most or all short-term periods.

The risk figures show a clear difference between the groups. The top ETFs had median volatility similar to AAPL over 5 years, and all had higher Sharpe ratios. The top stocks were much more volatile, though 6 of the 10 shown still had higher Sharpe ratios. That pattern suggests some stock winners earned enough extra return relative to risk to justify the larger swings, but not all did.

## More research

- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed NVDA (Nvidia)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-nvda)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed MSFT (Microsoft)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-msft)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed AMZN (Amazon)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-amzn)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed GOOG (Alphabet)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-goog)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed META (Meta Platforms)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-meta)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed TSLA (Tesla)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-tsla)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed BRK-B (Berkshire Hathaway)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-brk-b)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed COST (Costco)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-cost)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed SPY (S&P 500)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-spy)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed VOO (S&P 500)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-voo)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed VTI (Total US Stock Market)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-vti)
- [ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed QQQ (Nasdaq-100)](https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-qqq)

## Explore further

- Full page: https://easycompare.io/research/etfs-and-stocks-that-outperform-aapl
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt