What if you'd held GHC?
A $1,000 investment in Graham Holdings Company (GHC) at the month-end close of 1973-02 would be worth $485,021 at the close of 2026-08 — +48402.1% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $69,018.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 1973
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | $1,000 | — |
| 1974 | $1,006 | +0.6% |
| 1975 | $1,260 | +25.2% |
| 1976 | $2,935 | +133.0% |
| 1977 | $4,195 | +42.9% |
| 1978 | $5,461 | +30.2% |
| 1979 | $4,929 | -9.8% |
| 1980 | $5,312 | +7.8% |
| 1981 | $7,364 | +38.6% |
| 1982 | $12,968 | +76.1% |
| 1983 | $17,195 | +32.6% |
| 1984 | $18,838 | +9.6% |
| 1985 | $27,877 | +48.0% |
| 1986 | $36,623 | +31.4% |
| 1987 | $44,182 | +20.6% |
| 1988 | $50,169 | +13.6% |
| 1989 | $67,513 | +34.6% |
| 1990 | $48,253 | -28.5% |
| 1991 | $48,338 | +0.2% |
| 1992 | $58,188 | +20.4% |
| 1993 | $65,721 | +12.9% |
| 1994 | $63,409 | -3.5% |
| 1995 | $74,974 | +18.2% |
| 1996 | $90,455 | +20.6% |
| 1997 | $132,968 | +47.0% |
| 1998 | $159,468 | +19.9% |
| 1999 | $154,851 | -2.9% |
| 2000 | $173,662 | +12.1% |
| 2001 | $150,675 | -13.2% |
| 2002 | $211,773 | +40.5% |
| 2003 | $228,961 | +8.1% |
| 2004 | $286,682 | +25.2% |
| 2005 | $225,058 | -21.5% |
| 2006 | $221,623 | -1.5% |
| 2007 | $237,766 | +7.3% |
| 2008 | $119,123 | -49.9% |
| 2009 | $136,948 | +15.0% |
| 2010 | $139,786 | +2.1% |
| 2011 | $122,701 | -12.2% |
| 2012 | $125,396 | +2.2% |
| 2013 | $227,753 | +81.6% |
| 2014 | $301,104 | +32.2% |
| 2015 | $283,727 | -5.8% |
| 2016 | $302,584 | +6.6% |
| 2017 | $332,981 | +10.0% |
| 2018 | $385,526 | +15.8% |
| 2019 | $387,701 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | $328,325 | -15.3% |
| 2021 | $391,532 | +19.3% |
| 2022 | $379,695 | -3.0% |
| 2023 | $442,558 | +16.6% |
| 2024 | $559,052 | +26.3% |
| 2025 | $709,896 | +27.0% |
| 2026 | $762,175 | +7.4% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought GHC was 1974-01 ($1.48): $1,000 then is $793,074 today. The worst was 2026-07 ($1,226): $1,000 then is $958.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in GHC be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Graham Holdings Company (GHC) at the start of 1973 would be worth about $485,021 today, a total return of +48402.1%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for GHC?
Graham Holdings Company (GHC)'s strongest calendar year since 1973 was 1976, a +133.0% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,330 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2008, at -49.9%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in GHC have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1973-02 would have grown to about $4.13M on $64,300 invested.
Did GHC beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $69,018. GHC beat the S&P 500 by +602.7% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Graham Holdings Company (GHC) historical total-return data from 1973-02 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.