Benchmark research · Meta Platforms
ETFs and Stocks That Consistently Outperformed META (Meta Platforms)
Any investment can look great over a single hand-picked timeframe. To find what truly kept ahead of META (Meta Platforms, Inc.), we screened META against the entire market of over 10,000 stocks and ETFs across 8 different time windows from 1 month to 10 years, including reinvested dividends. A contender had to come out ahead in both the short term and the long term to make the list. Data as of October 22, 2026.
Compare the entire market against META live →Key findings
- How hard it was to top META: Out of over 10,000 stocks and ETFs screened, 35 of 958 eligible ETFs (3.7%) and 265 of 1,501 eligible stocks (18%) outperformed META in a majority of the short-term and long-term timeframes. Eleven ETFs and 73 stocks were all-weather, outperforming in every long-term timeframe and all but one short-term timeframe.
- Who came out ahead across the three groups:
- Popular alternatives: VGT and XLK each outperformed in 4 of 5 short-term and 3 of 3 long-term timeframes. AAPL cleared the bar with 5 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes. MSFT and QQQ fell short, each with 5 of 5 or 4 of 5 short-term periods, respectively, but only 1 of 3 long-term periods.
- Top ETFs: Technology funds led the group. Nine of the top ETFs were in Technology, and RSPT, VGT, XLK, and FTEC each outperformed in 4 or more of 5 short-term timeframes and all 3 long-term timeframes.
- Top stocks: 265 stocks made the cut. Standouts included healthcare companies NTRA and LLY, technology company FTNT, and industrials company BWLP, each of which outperformed in all 5 short-term and all 3 long-term timeframes.
- The risk trade-off: The top ETFs had lower volatility than META, and all 15 had higher Sharpe ratios (a measure of risk-adjusted performance). The top stocks had volatility similar to META overall, though 6 of 10 were less volatile. All 10 had higher Sharpe ratios, so their returns were stronger relative to their measured risk.
How popular alternatives compare
Well-known funds and stocks investors often compare against META, sorted by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term.
| Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | ||
| META Meta Platforms, Inc. (benchmark) | — | −11.9% | +3.5% | −3.7% | 0.0% | −11.2% | +109% | +102% | +391% | 45.4% | 0.54 |
| VGT Made the listVanguard Information Technology ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −6.1% | +2.7% | +15.4% | +25.9% | +26.7% | +135% | +130% | +753% | 26.1%0.6× META | 0.77 |
| XLK Made the listState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −7.1% | +1.3% | +15.6% | +26.8% | +28.4% | +126% | +139% | +741% | 26.1%0.6× META | 0.80 |
| AAPL Made the listApple Inc. | 5/5 short2/3 long | +2.5% | +6.9% | +27.7% | +28.8% | +35.2% | +104% | +140% | +1,194% | 28.0%0.6× META | 0.77 |
| MSFT Fell shortMicrosoft Corporation | 5/5 short1/3 long | +4.6% | +33.7% | +20.9% | +10.9% | +0.9% | +61.9% | +75.6% | +862% | 28.2%0.6× META | 0.54 |
| QQQ Fell shortInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | 4/5 short1/3 long | −5.8% | 0.0% | +7.8% | +15.3% | +16.9% | +101% | +94.0% | +531% | 23.0%0.5× META | 0.69 |
| AMZN Fell shortAmazon.com, Inc. | 4/5 short1/3 long | −1.8% | +2.3% | −1.9% | +10.5% | +14.9% | +97.8% | +50.1% | +498% | 36.6%0.8× META | 0.41 |
| FDN Fell shortFirst Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund | 5/5 short0/3 long | −4.1% | +6.2% | +6.0% | +5.9% | +1.1% | +81.4% | +15.4% | +239% | 27.6%0.6× META | 0.24 |
| VOO Fell shortVanguard S&P 500 ETF | 4/5 short0/3 long | −1.2% | +2.5% | +8.0% | +12.7% | +15.7% | +88.8% | +80.8% | +319% | 16.9%0.4× META | 0.79 |
| SPY Fell shortState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF | 4/5 short0/3 long | −1.2% | +2.5% | +8.0% | +12.7% | +15.6% | +88.4% | +80.3% | +316% | 17.2%0.4× META | 0.78 |
| VB Fell shortVanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF | 4/5 short0/3 long | −1.0% | −2.3% | +2.1% | +11.4% | +15.1% | +68.6% | +35.2% | +179% | 20.6%0.5× META | 0.40 |
| SNAP Fell shortSnap Inc. | 3/5 short0/3 long | +12.8% | +41.8% | +8.6% | −22.0% | −18.4% | −33.2% | −88.5% | — | 75.2%1.7× META | -0.19 |
| PINS Fell shortPinterest, Inc. | 2/5 short0/3 long | +24.7% | +1.7% | +11.2% | −13.7% | −30.5% | −13.9% | −60.5% | — | 55.5%1.2× META | -0.06 |
ETFs that consistently outperformed META
Top 15 by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then by 10Y return. Green cells outperformed META in that period. Excludes leveraged and inverse funds, ETFs under $100M in assets, stocks under $2.0B in market cap, and anything without 10 years of history.
| # | Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | Fund | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | Expense | Assets | |||
| — | META Meta Platforms, Inc. (benchmark) | — | −11.9% | +3.5% | −3.7% | 0.0% | −11.2% | +109% | +102% | +391% | 45.4% | 0.54 | ||
| 1 | RSPT TechnologyInvesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Technology ETF | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −3.9% | +6.2% | +21.6% | +40.0% | +43.0% | +141% | +116% | +559% | 25.1%0.6× META | 0.74 | 0.40% | $6.1B |
| 2 | IYW Broad MarketiShares U.S. Technology ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −6.4% | +2.4% | +16.3% | +24.7% | +26.1% | +138% | +135% | +773% | 26.7%0.6× META | 0.78 | 0.37% | $24B |
| 3 | VGT TechnologyVanguard Information Technology ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −6.1% | +2.7% | +15.4% | +25.9% | +26.7% | +135% | +130% | +753% | 26.1%0.6× META | 0.77 | 0.09% | $178B |
| 4 | XLK TechnologyState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −7.1% | +1.3% | +15.6% | +26.8% | +28.4% | +126% | +139% | +741% | 26.1%0.6× META | 0.80 | 0.08% | $125B |
| 5 | FTEC TechnologyFidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −6.1% | +2.6% | +15.4% | +25.9% | +26.9% | +136% | +132% | +737% | 26.1%0.6× META | 0.78 | 0.08% | $22B |
| 6 | IXN InternationaliShares Global Tech ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −8.8% | −0.5% | +14.3% | +28.7% | +31.1% | +140% | +137% | +693% | 26.2%0.6× META | 0.79 | 0.37% | $9.1B |
| 7 | XNTK TechnologyState Street SPDR NYSE Technology ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −10.3% | −1.9% | +13.0% | +23.3% | +24.8% | +159% | +115% | +691% | 29.3%0.6× META | 0.67 | 0.35% | $2.0B |
| 8 | IGM Broad MarketiShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −7.9% | +0.2% | +11.0% | +21.4% | +23.1% | +149% | +126% | +686% | 26.6%0.6× META | 0.75 | 0.37% | $11B |
| 9 | SPMO Broad MarketInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −9.4% | −7.3% | +7.9% | +16.7% | +17.2% | +149% | +130% | +485% | 20.9%0.5× META | 0.91 | 0.13% | $22B |
| 10 | EWT TechnologyiShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −9.7% | +2.3% | +20.7% | +60.6% | +67.3% | +187% | +147% | +448% | 24.3%0.5× META | 0.87 | 0.59% | $12B |
| 11 | DXJ InternationalWisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 4/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −2.3% | +0.4% | +10.4% | +23.0% | +34.3% | +125% | +225% | +415% | 19.1%0.4× META | 1.34 | 0.48% | $8.1B |
| 12 | SMH TechnologyVanEck Semiconductor ETF | 3/5 short3/3 long | −13.8% | −10.8% | +9.8% | +40.2% | +55.0% | +272% | +304% | +1,570% | 37.0%0.8× META | 0.94 | 0.35% | $66B |
| 13 | SOXX Broad MarketiShares Semiconductor ETF | 3/5 short3/3 long | −17.0% | −14.3% | +10.3% | +51.9% | +68.0% | +219% | +221% | +1,297% | 39.0%0.9× META | 0.80 | 0.33% | $39B |
| 14 | FTXL TechnologyFirst Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETF | 3/5 short3/3 long | −16.0% | −12.2% | +9.3% | +56.8% | +81.8% | +234% | +220% | +1,019% | 39.0%0.9× META | 0.79 | 0.60% | $1.2B |
| 15 | XSD TechnologyState Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF | 3/5 short3/3 long | −15.4% | −14.6% | +2.6% | +35.0% | +36.6% | +158% | +121% | +805% | 40.9%0.9× META | 0.59 | 0.35% | $2.7B |
Stocks that consistently outperformed META
Top 10 by long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then by 10Y return. Individual stocks swing far more than funds; check the volatility column.
| # | Investment | Periods outperformed | Short term | Long term | Risk · 5 years | Company | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1M | 3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | 10Y | Volatilitylower is calmer | Sharpe ratiohigher is better | Market cap | |||
| — | META Meta Platforms, Inc. (benchmark) | — | −11.9% | +3.5% | −3.7% | 0.0% | −11.2% | +109% | +102% | +391% | 45.4% | 0.54 | |
| 1 | NTRA Medical - Diagnostics & ResearchNatera, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +2.7% | +51.9% | +93.2% | +75.4% | +113% | +901% | +249% | +3,934% | 57.6%1.3× META | 0.73 | $58B |
| 2 | FTNT Software - InfrastructureFortinet, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −0.7% | +11.6% | +98.6% | +122% | +104% | +208% | +158% | +2,668% | 44.8%1.0× META | 0.65 | $127B |
| 3 | BWLP Marine ShippingBW LPG Limited | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +1.2% | +20.7% | +46.1% | +116% | +129% | +232% | +966% | +2,648% | 50.9%1.1× META | 1.19 | $3.8B |
| 4 | MEDP Medical - Diagnostics & ResearchMedpace Holdings, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +3.8% | +23.8% | +28.6% | +14.5% | +19.6% | +187% | +250% | +2,003% | 52.1%1.1× META | 0.73 | $18B |
| 5 | LLY Drug Manufacturers - GeneralEli Lilly and Company | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +11.7% | +12.5% | +42.3% | +21.5% | +61.9% | +131% | +461% | +1,870% | 32.8%0.7× META | 1.22 | $1.2T |
| 6 | LPG Oil & Gas MidstreamDorian LPG Ltd. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −3.9% | +19.7% | +49.2% | +123% | +107% | +123% | +817% | +1,827% | 43.6%1.0× META | 1.24 | $2.2B |
| 7 | COKE Beverages - Non-AlcoholicCoca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +12.5% | +16.7% | +15.1% | +44.1% | +67.4% | +257% | +468% | +1,564% | 38.0%0.8× META | 1.11 | $14B |
| 8 | CORT Medical - PharmaceuticalsCorcept Therapeutics Incorporated | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | −8.5% | +18.3% | +131% | +181% | +46.0% | +294% | +474% | +1,434% | 76.0%1.7× META | 0.80 | $12B |
| 9 | URI Rental & Leasing ServicesUnited Rentals, Inc. | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +6.5% | +7.5% | +38.9% | +32.3% | +13.0% | +179% | +213% | +1,407% | 39.1%0.9× META | 0.78 | $69B |
| 10 | MPC Oil & Gas Refining & MarketingMarathon Petroleum Corporation | 5/5 short3/3 longAll-weather | +17.9% | +45.8% | +108% | +181% | +148% | +226% | +660% | +1,314% | 33.4%0.7× META | 1.39 | $129B |
What stands out
Technology funds were prominent among the ETF leaders, while the leading stocks came from a wider range of sectors, including healthcare, technology, and industrials. The pattern was not limited to recent performance: the highlighted ETFs and stocks outperformed META across all 3 long-term timeframes as well as most or all short-term periods. Still, the overall pool was selective, especially among ETFs, where 35 of 958 eligible funds qualified.
The risk figures show different paths to higher returns. The top ETFs combined lower volatility with higher Sharpe ratios than META over 5 years. The top stocks were bumpier on average, but 6 of 10 had lower volatility and all 10 had higher Sharpe ratios. These results describe the historical ride, not a guarantee that the same pattern will continue.
Methodology
- Short-term periods: 1M, 3M, 6M, YTD, 1Y. Long-term periods: 3Y, 5Y, 10Y. An investment outperformed a period when its total return, with dividends reinvested, was higher than META's. Returns within 0.5 points or 3% of META's (whichever is larger) count as a tie and are shown in gray.
- Consistent means outperforming in at least 3 of 5 short-term periods and 2 of 3 long-term periods, so a recent hot streak alone is not enough. All-weather means outperforming in every long-term period and all but one short-term period. Rankings use long-term periods outperformed, then short-term, then the 10Y return.
- Excludes leveraged and inverse funds, ETFs under $100M in assets, stocks under $2.0B in market cap, and anything without 10 years of history.
- Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of daily returns over 5 years. The Sharpe ratio is return above cash divided by volatility over the same period: higher means more return per unit of risk.
- Returns and risk figures are computed from daily adjusted prices and update with each market day. Past performance does not predict future results.