Rolls Royce, Antofagasta, Natwest: these top FTSE 100 stocks have returned over 30 per cent this year

A number of FTSE 100 stocks have defied the doom and gloom swirling around London’s dissipating public markets and have returned over 30 per cent this year to hit multi-year highs.

London’s FTSE 100 index has been on a record run recently and closed at an all-time high on Friday.

Engineer Rolls Royce has performed best over the past six months, rising nearly 100 per cent. The manufacturer was awarded a major contract in October to help provide nuclear-powered attack submarines for Australia. 

Rolls Royce leads the FTSE 100

One of the London Stock Exchange’s major success stories, Rolls Royce is also the top riser over the past year, up more than 165 per cent.

Its share price recently brushed £4.35, the highest it’s been in over 10 years.

Although the Derby-headquartered group has risen six-fold in the past 18 months, analysts have warned the giant could be running out of fuel.

Anglo-Chilean copper miner Antofagasta is the second best performer on London’s blue chip index over the past six months, with the stock soaring 65 per cent.

The firm’s recent trading update revealed that revenue and pre-tax earnings ticked up eight per cent and five per cent to $6.3bn (£5bn) and $3.1bn (£2.5bn), respectively.

Investors have rewarded the company’s decision to award shareholders a final dividend of 24.3 cents (19.2p), giving a full-year dividend of 36 cents (28.6p), equivalent to a total payout ratio of 50 per cent for the year.

Shares in major bank Barclays have surged 53 per cent since half a year ago, while Natwest has risen 40 per cent and is closing in on a five year high.

The former’s stock price notched up as much as eight per cent on Thursday afternoon to its highest level since February 2022 after beating analyst estimates in its earnings.

Earlier today, Natwest reported that its profit sagged in the first quarter of the year, but it still managed to outperform market expectations, staying resilient against the mortgage downturn and growing its lending book. The government has reduced its stake in the firm even further.

Easyjet returns to the FTSE 100

Also also among the top FTSE 100 risers over the past six months was Easyjet, up nearly 46 per cent , private equity firm 3i, up 42 per cent higher, and Associated British Foods (ABF), up nearly 37 per cent.

Budget airline Easyjet made a return to the index just last month, off the back of increasing demand for travel last year, following the lift of Covid-era lockdown restrictions.

And, this week, Primark owner ABF upped its dividend following a strong set of results, which sent shares up nine per cent.

Other steady top performers over the past year are software company Sage, which has jumped 44 per cent, and retailer Next, up 34 per cent.

In March, Newcastle-based Sage rose to a record high of £12.82; it is currently sitting just below that. Sage is growing across all of its regions thanks to its highly successful cloud business.

Next also saw gains on the FTSE 100 last month, as it continued to beat market expectations and trump rivals despite the rising costs and slowing sales that UK retailers are battling.

At a time when a ballooning number of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange are claiming they are undervalued and that their futures lie in private hands – with Darktrace the most recent example – there are at least some to rally behind.