Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has outperformed the market over the past 5 years by 17.78% on an annualized basis producing an average annual return of 27.54%. Currently, Microsoft has a market capitalization of $2.69 trillion.

Buying $1000 In MSFT: If an investor had bought $1000 of MSFT stock 5 years ago, it would be worth $3,377.02 today based on a price of $362.18 for MSFT at the time of writing.

Microsoft's Performance Over Last 5 Years

Finally -- what's the point of all this? The key insight to take from this article is to note how much of a difference compounded returns can make in your cash growth over a period of time.

This article was generated by Benzinga's automated content engine and reviewed by an editor.