The 'Acquired' podcast analyzed returns to reveal how home improvement became much larger than anyone could have imagined. The highest-returning stock of the last 45 years is Home Depot. This finding underscores the massive growth of the home improvement sector.

The podcast ran the numbers to see how the company outperformed all others over nearly half a century. Home Depot's success story highlights the unexpected scale of the industry.

According to the Wall Street Journal US Business, this analysis shows how home improvement became a dominant force. The results may surprise many investors.