If You Invested $1,000 In Nvidia Stock When Jensen Huang Got Company Logo Tattoo, Here's How Much You'd Have Today

NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) became the first company valued at more than $4 trillion, passing the milestone in early July. The momentum continues through the end of the month with Nvidia hitting new all-time highs early Wednesday morning.

NVDA is holding near its annual highs. Check the price action here.

Here's a look back at how Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang celebrated a past company milestone and how much investors could have made with a less painful celebration along the way.

What Happened: Nvidia passed a market capitalization of $1 trillion in May 2023 and has taken the market by storm, passing multiple milestones since then, including the recent $4 trillion figure.

Nvidia is now worth $4.29 trillion and could be the first company to hit the $5 trillion market capitalization, according to Benzinga readers.

Huang co-founded Nvidia in 1993 and still leads the company today. His wealth has soared along with the Nvidia stock price.

Before Nvidia hit a $1 trillion market cap, another milestone was hit years ago, with shares passing the $100 level. That level would be reached several times, with shares splitting multiple times since 2000.

To celebrate the occasion of shares hitting $100, Huang promised company executives he would get the Nvidia logo as a tattoo.

In a 2017 interview with Fortune, Huang revealed the tattoo and shared more details.

"So, I really want to extend it. I actually kinda do. I would love to. But getting it really, really hurt," Huang said.

Huang said his family was with him when he got his tattoo.

"I was crying like a baby. My kids were with me, and they were like, ‘Dad, you've gotta control yourself.’"

Huang mentioned that a semi-annual meeting from years ago was the inspiration behind the tattoo.

"And at one, someone said, ‘What are we gonna do when the stock price hits $100?’"

Huang recalled that others said they would shave their head, paint their hair a new color, get a mohawk and even get a nipple ring.

"So I said, ‘Yeah all right, I'll get a tattoo.’"

The first picture that can be found online of Huang's tattoo comes from the Nvidia Gaming Festival, with a post on Nvidia's Instagram on Oct. 25, 2014.

"NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsu Huang shows off his #NVIDIA tattoo at the NVIDIA Gaming Festival," the post reads.

It is unknown when Huang got his tattoo, but it doesn't sound like more will be added to his arms anytime soon.

"Aging gracefully. No more tattoos. It hurts way more than anybody tells you," Huang said in a 2023 interview.

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Investing $1,000 in Nvidia Stock: With the date unknown for exactly when Huang got his tattoo, the starting point for this article will be for when the tattoo was unveiled to the public.

The Nvidia Instagram post with Huang's tattoo was shared on Oct. 25, 2014, which fell on the weekend. Shares opened at $18.48 on the following Monday.

A $1,000 investment at the time could have bought 54.11 NVDA shares. Nvidia stock split four-for-one in July 2021 and 10-for-1 in June 2024. This would have turned the initial share count into 2,164.40 shares.

The $1,000 investment would be worth $381,497.14 today. This represents a potential return of +38,049.7%.

Compare that to a $1,000 investment in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY), which tracks the S&P 500. A $1,000 investment in the ETF on the same day could have bought 5.11 SPY shares at the time. The $1,000 investment would be worth $3,252.06 today, representing a potential return of 225.2%.

Another point of reference could have been to buy Nvidia shares after the Fortune interview, which labeled Huang the Businessperson of the Year and made the tattoo more of a storyline for the public.

A $1,000 investment could have purchased 4.67 shares of Nvidia on Nov. 16, 2017, at a price of $214.20. The stock splits would have turned the investment into 186.80 NVDA shares. The $1,000 investment would be worth $32,178.17 today, representing a return of 3,117.8%.

The same $1,000 invested in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust on the same date could have purchased 3.89 SPY shares, which would be worth $2,475.63. This represents a potential return of 147.6%.

Investors who followed Huang’s tattoo journey and recognized Nvidia’s potential for future milestones would be incredibly grateful today.

If Huang does decide to get a new tattoo to commemorate hitting $4 trillion or potentially a $5 trillion market cap, investors should take note.

Read Next:

• Jensen Huang Gave $12.6 Million To Charity, Then Nvidia’s Stock Made It Billions

This article was previously published by Benzinga and has been updated.

Photo: Image created from Shutterstock photos