Every year, new stocks take the stage, and the stocks already there have the chance to perform and excel in the market. You never know just what fund or shares are going to shine in a single year, which is the beauty of the stock market when you think about it.
Just because a stock or share is high-priced, doesn’t mean they performed the best overall. Performance is based on total movement and the percentage of change from start to finish.
Check out these best performing shares to give you some insight into the front-runners of the market this year.
| Provider | Score | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1. BAE Systems | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 2. Pearson | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 3. Glencore | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 4. Shell | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 5. BP | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 6. Centrica | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 7. Standard Chartered | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 8. Imperial Brands | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 9. Tintra | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 10. Amur Minerals | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 11. HSBC | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 12. Vodafone | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
| 13. Mediclinic International | ★★★★★ | Learn More |
1. BAE Systems
BAE Systems is the first on the list, which year to date is up more than 50% for the total year. This defence contractor company has perhaps seen such high performance because of political and civil unrest, specifically in relation to the things happening with Ukraine and Russia across the globe.
BAE Systems won several awards this year, improving their status and leading to new orders that really helped boost their total revenue for the year. They reflected improvements in operations, as well as dividend payouts.
This company also has a positive prospect for the future.
Many of their new clients and contracts received this year that boosted their status are long-term clients that will keep them sustainable still for many future years as well.
The defence sector is one of the few sectors that are not impacted heavily by the thoughts of recession, and in fact, may be better off despite recession warnings.
2. Pearson
Pearson comes in just slightly under BAE systems, reaching almost a 50% increase at 49.4%. Pearson is an education publishing company, and while their rise in the market is great, it could be a one-time event.
Much of this increase comes from takeover offers that they considered and turned down in 2022, leading to popularity and demand for their shares.
Throughout the year, they showed margin improvement, as well as an increase in revenue. Much of this improvement they clearly worked for on their own, but it was the rebuffed takeovers that drew attention to them, in a sense.
Pearson benefits from the education sector, especially since there are global funds dedicated to spending for education. They are a leader in the education industry, and have made great strides with online adjustments as well as direct contact initiatives.
3. Glencore
Glencore saw an increase this year of nearly 43% that brought them to a high spot for the year. This is another company who saw a boost because of the political and military uprisings that are happening throughout Ukraine.
Glencore is a natural resource company, and companies like these often do advance in those situations.
Glencore falls into commodities in some cases, but they also have internal commodities trading, and that was a huge advantage to their growth, according to their CEO.
There were also settlements for legalities that did them a favour in performance too.
Finally, Glencore will be closing out their year with a sizable dividend, which is a major strength for shareholders and any who became holders by the required record date. The announcement was for close to 60 cents in USD.
4. Shell
Shell and BP are both pretty close in the running when it comes to the best performing shares. Yet again, we see companies that rank high in the oil and gas industry, giving them a strong place in the market as we close out the year.
Shell saw a performance increase of about 43% by mid-December, and it was still rising. Many of these natural resource companies are going to be at the top of the list for obvious reasons. You’ve seen the increase in fuel prices, and once again the gains here are reflective of the unrest in Ukraine and the high performance of commodities.
Oil prices are considered to be a weakness in the market, but it’s clearly not hurting the performance on this side.
5. BP
BP, just like Shell, is a well-known oil and gas company. They matched Shell in terms of performance, with an increase of 43%. BP has shown significant gains throughout 2022, and that has played a huge role in where they stand on this list.
BP has always been known to be resourceful and disciplined with their finances, and it’s served them well, even in a year when oil is a weakness. Or perhaps it’s those rising prices to the people buying gas that have benefitted these companies so well.
Regardless, high commodities and a high demand for their products has driven their performance upward to help place them on this list of best performing shares in 2022.
6. Centrica
In terms of oil and gas companies, we certainly can’t leave out Centrica. While their increases haven’t been as substantial as BP and Shell, they still hit major highs, with performance increases of 33% or more.
Centrica has also benefitted from the rising prices of energy during the year. According to some studies, while performance is up about 33%, the earning per share calculation reflects nearly 200% returns, which is incredible.
Centrica is a British electric and gas company, and these markets are driving the returns in substantial ways.
Considering these are often the markets on the low end of the spectrum, they should be proud to be standing at the top this year.
7. Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered is actually higher up on the list according to some readings, reaching nearly 47% on the top tiers of performance. With that in mind, they outdid nearly all of these energy sectors that we’ve already covered, and they are holding steady too.
Standard Chartered is an international banking group, and they have their hand in a lot of different markets. They are known for their diversity, as well as a commitment to building commerce with strong core values. This London-based commercial bank has worked hard to build their way to the top.
It’s not often that the financial sector climbs higher than many of the others out there, so Standard Chartered must be doing something right when it comes to business.
8. Imperial Brands
Imperial Brands falls in just slightly under the mineral companies on our list. They increased in performance by right around 30%, making great headway in 2022. Much of this performance boost seems closely tied to customers that are transitioning away from cigarettes and into vaping.
This brand actually had a five year strategy that focused heavily on improving their performance, and this year they did a great job. They continue to follow the strategy and see where it takes them.
With improved operations and focus, they clearly are moving forward in a positive way.
In addition to their strategy, they utilized some unique investment approaches, including their share buyback program. This paired with dividends made them competitive once again in the industry.
9. Tintra
Tintra falls into a different index measurement than most of these other shares listed, but that doesn’t change where they fell in 2022. They have beat the markets with a 44% return annualized over the past three years.
The thing about Tintra is that it’s a holding in the gambling industry. While they certainly have seen high performance more than one year running, they also have seen a lot of volatility. They are in an industry that is considered volatile overall. While their performance is impressive in 2022, it may not be a lasting hold.
Tintra falls under alternative investments, much like the mineral and energy resources do. However, their performance numbers come from totally different reasons as those in mineral-based sectors.
10. Amur Minerals
Are you surprised to see yet another company from the mineral world on this list? You probably shouldn’t be given all that we’ve uncovered. When you look at the annualized return of this particular company, it’s pretty unimpressive. They’ve had a lot of down years before 2022 that really hurt them in general.
However, when you look at performance for this year, they’ve returned almost 108%, which is astronomical.
This percentage shouldn’t be confused with the performance numbers from the other companies here. It’s simply the rate of return from this business.
That being said, they’ve performed overall really well, and shareholders are seeing some much-needed payoff compared to prior years. This is another company that realized significant volatility prior to 2022, so it’s a well-deserved break in comparison to the past.
11. HSBC
HSBC is one of the largest banking conglomerates in the UK, so it really comes as no surprise that they fall onto this performance list.
HSBC is known for offering a unique variety of solutions, some of them which are high fee levels, bringing in significant income for the company.
On top of their banking, they are major credit card players, and involved in some other markets as well.
This is the seventh-largest bank in the world, dominating many global areas, and bringing them a claim to fame as a whole.
In terms of performance, HSBC saw an increase in performance of 24% in 2022, holding them steady on our list of best performing shares.
12. Vodafone
Vodafone is one company on this list that surprises us just a little bit. The reason for the surprise is simply because there are no other telecom services, or even similar companies, that are placing high on the performance gauges.
Yet, Vodafone reflects a 22% performance rating that is one for the books. Here’s the thing, though. While they’re a highly-rated company, they are also rated fairly high on the risk scale due to past volatility, and a lack of performance.
According to their three year annualized return, they’ve only seen about 5% return across a three year period, which is unimpressive to say the least. It’s been a good year, leading them to success in terms of market stock performance.
13. Mediclinic International
Looking at yet another index, we find Mediclinic international in an impressive position in the market. They’ve advanced 56% in terms of performance, placing them as nearly one of the highest in this list.
This private healthcare category certainly took an unusual leap in the market, falling into the mid-cap field and taking the lead for the category. This advancement is most definitely impressive.
The increase in performance comes from a takeover offer that brought them to the forefront and significantly increased their value. The offer was a 35% premium from Remgro, and that number shot their performance through the roof in a way that was completely unexpected.
A Year in Perspective
When we look at the year as a whole and take note of the top performers here, there are many things in common. The first of which is that most of these companies are incredibly volatile, and they are players that normally wouldn’t be at the top.
These companies have high ranking performance based on the things going on in the world, and yet it came from hard work and placement throughout the year. The unfortunate events with Ukraine have driven many of these top places into high leadership spots, driving up prices and stock valuations, despite the positions.
The leading sectors of 2022 are known for their volatility and under performance in many different years.
Interestingly enough, such is the market. We see surprising things happen each year, driving performance in different ways.
Final Thoughts
Many different global happenings have affected the 2022 markets and performance numbers. Among our top ranks are mineral and commodity companies that have risen to success in a year full of challenges and weakness. The oil and gas industries have excelled, despite the weakness in this market throughout 2022. Remember that the market can be a volatile place, as can be these performers.
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