What UK stocks rose the most in price in each of the last ten years? I think that’s an interesting question. Tack on those that fell by the most, and its even better.
I am going to look at members of the FTSE All-Share index as my proxy for UK Stocks. Now, we in the UK are not as fortunate as our American cousins when it comes to stock market data. So I have done the best I can. I have taken the current list of FTSE All-Share stocks. I have used Python, Pandas and YFinance to gather and analyse stock prices for those tickers. There will be tickers that no longer trade that might have been top performers or the biggest flops in the past and they will have been missed. The stock price data I obtained might have been flawed leading to inaccurate calculations. I have done my best to double check.
Also the choice of using a calendar year might well miss bigger gains or loses that were over a 12 month period that does not start and end with a new year. So, with all that in mind, lets have a look at the biggest UK stock winners and losers over the last 10 years.
UK stock winners
The most notable one year gain was made in 2015 with the Ferrexpo share price rising 570%. Ocado was the best performing UK stock in 2018 with a 97% rise, which is the smallest recorded. However, Ocado has appeared twice. Back in 2013 it managed a 421% gain.
| Year | Company | Industry | Gain |
| 2012 | 888 Holdings | Hotels & Entertainment Services | 179% |
| 2013 | Ocado | Diversified Retail | 421% |
| 2014 | Severfield | Construction & Engineering | 220% |
| 2015 | Harworth Group | Real Estate Operations | 128% |
| 2016 | Ferrexpo | Metals & Mining | 570% |
| 2017 | Games Workshop | Leisure Products | 314% |
| 2018 | Ocado | Diversified Retail | 97% |
| 2019 | Luceco | Machinery, Equipment & Components | 273% |
| 2020 | AO World | Speciality Retailers | 347% |
| 2021 | Lookers | Speciality Retailers | 207% |
| 2022 | ME International | Electronic Equipment & Parts | 104% |
The speciality retailers done well in the pandemic years. AO World stock rose 347% in 2020. It is a mainly online retailer of washing machines and the like. In 2021 Lookers shares posted a 207% gain. It sells new and used vehicles and provides after-sales services. Output of new vehicles fell in 2021, leading to a shortage of second hand vehicles as a knock on effect, which was a boon to any entity that had a big inventory of them.
The FTSE All-Share’s biggest losers
The years 2013, 2014, and 2015 look to have been bad years for mining stocks. Fresnillo fell the most of any UK stock in 2013. Kenmare Resources did the double by recorded the biggest drop in 2014 and 2015.
| Year | Company | Industry | Loss |
| 2012 | Harworth Group | Real Estate Operations | 77% |
| 2013 | Fresnillo | Metals & Mining | 58% |
| 2014 | Kenmare Resources | Metals & Mining | 85% |
| 2015 | Kenmare Resources | Metals & Mining | 86% |
| 2016 | Severfield | Construction & Engineering | 61% |
| 2017 | Vanguis Banking Group | Banking Services | 64% |
| 2018 | Alfa Financial Software Holdings | Investment Banking & Investment Services | 79% |
| 2019 | Metro Bank | Banking Services | 87% |
| 2020 | Hyve | Professional & Commercial Services | 89% |
| 2021 | AO World | Speciality Retailers | 75% |
| 2022 | Aston Martin Lagonda | Automobiles & Auto Parts | 88% |
There are some stocks that made the winners list, only to find themselves on the losers list later on. After a stellar performance in 2020, AO World stock fell 75% in 2021. The Severfield share price was up 220% in 2014, but was the worst performing UK stock in 2016 falling 61%.
One stock, Harworth group, did it the other way round: It fell by 77% in 2012, but went up 128% in 2015.
Learning Lessons
Where next then. Well, we have already identified a few patterns. The poor performance of mining stocks from 2013 to 2015 is one of them. Finding out why that might have been the case might well turn something interesting that can be applied going forward.
I was not surprised to see Games Workshop make the list in 2017. I have had a look at the reasons around its stellar performance before. Ocado making two entries is not entirely surprising either, it has been a bit of a stock market darling. But from what I recall, it first done well on presenting it as a rapidly growing online grocer. The story then changed to it being a provider of technology for fulfilment centres that it had developed, giving it another round of share price growth.
And that’s really the point of making lists. They provide jumping off points for further inquiry. There might be readily identifiable characteristics that the biggest winners of the past have that can be used to help predict which stocks might be the biggest winners in the future. Also, what did the loser stocks have in common? Whatever it was it might make sense for me to run a mile from stocks that share those types of characteristics.
DISCLAIMER: James J. McCombie owns shares in Games Workshop. No comment in this article should be construed as a recommendation of, or opinion regrading the future performance of, any stock or security mentioned herein. Opinions expressed are the author’s and do not represent the views of The Storied Investor. The Storied Investor has no beneficial ownership position in any of the stocks or securities mentioned.
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