High-quality companies create a lot of value over the long term. Sometimes, that means their stock price soars into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars, which can make it difficult for retail investors to buy in.

Netflix is metaphorically flexing its muscles and spiking the football this week, announcing both record fourth-quarter subscriber gains and price hikes for nearly every one of its plans. In other words,

Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) was one of the best stocks of the 2010s. After an initial misstep with Qwikster, Netflix successfully transitioned from a DVD-by-mail business to a streaming one and delivered phenomenal growth over the decade as it expanded around the world and made streaming mainstream.