Few stocks have enjoyed the type of meteoric success on the public markets like Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND). The company provided the right product (plant-based meat alternatives) for the right audience (vegetarians and those concerned with the environmental effects of modern animal farming) at just the right time (IPOs were booming).
The company's initial shares were valued at $25 apiece, though the first trade was for $46 when the market opened. With the stock priced at $72 per share as of this writing, a $10,000 investment on that first day would be worth $28,800 or $15,650, depending on when you obtained shares.
That's a great return! To put it in perspective, an equal investment in the S&P 500 would be worth about $10,800 today when including dividends. So why is it that all anyone can talk about these days is how much Beyond Meat's stock has cratered?