Here's how rich you would be if you invested $1,000 in Netflix when it first went public 15 years ago (NFLX)

Netflix marks its 15th anniversary as a publicly traded company on May 23, and, despite some twists and turns, it's turned out to be an enormously successful venture.

An investment of $1,000 at the stock's closing price on May 23, 2002, the day of the company's initial public offering, was worth about $131,900 as of 10:20 AM ET on May 23, 2017.

Of course, buying and holding Netflix for the last 15 years would have been a harrowing experience at times. The stock lost nearly 80% of its value between July and November 2011 in the wake of an unpopular subscription fee hike and an ill-fated plan to split up the company's DVD and streaming services.

Hindsight shows us that this was, in the end, only a temporary setback. The stock has exploded in recent years, powered by robust subscriber growth and a huge investment in original content.

Here's how the value of $1,000 invested on Netflix's IPO day would have changed in the last 15 years:

Business Insider/Andy Kiersz, data from Yahoo Finance

NOW WATCH: Here's what popular dog breeds looked like before and after 100 years of breeding