Best- and Worst-Performing UK Stocks of January 2025

Smiths Group and St. James’s Place rank among the best stocks for the month, while the worst include Marks & Spencer and easyJet.

Bella Albrecht 4 February, 2025 | 9:29AM
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The Morningstar UK Large-Mid Cap Index rose 6.0% in January amid a rally in the technology sector. The large-mid index tracks the performance of the top 90% of the UK investable universe by market cap, and each month we screen from among the stocks in this index to find the best- and worst-performing companies. Data in this article is sourced from Morningstar Direct.

Best-Performing Stocks of January 2025

• Airtel Africa PLC Ordinary Shares AAF

• Burberry Group BRBY

• St. James’s Place STJ

• Spectris SXS

• Smiths Group SMIN

Worst-Performing Stocks of January 2025

• Greggs GRG

• Inchcape INCH

• Marks & Spencer MKS

• easyJet Airline Company EZJ

• Harbour Energy HBR

Metrics for the Best-Performing Stocks

Airtel Africa PLC Ordinary Shares AAF

• Sector: Communication Services

• Industry: Telecom Services

• Economic Moat: Not Rated

Airtel Africa jumped 27.1% in January, leaving the stock up 34.5% for the year. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 5 stars.

Burberry Group BRBY

• Sector: Consumer Cyclical

• Industry: Luxury Goods

• Economic Moat: Narrow

Burberry jumped 21.6%, but shares were still down 4.5% for the year. Shares are 11.8% below their last high on Feb. 16, 2024. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 3 stars and is trading at a 10% discount to its fair value estimate of £13.30.

St. James’s Place STJ

• Sector: Financial Services

• Industry: Asset Management

• Economic Moat: Not Rated

St. James’s Place rose 21.4%, having risen 65.6% from one year ago. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 3 stars.

Spectris SXS

• Sector: Technology

• Industry: Scientific & Technical Instruments

• Economic Moat: Not Rated

Spectris rose 21.1%, but shares were still down 15.7% for the year. Shares are 20.2% below their last high on Feb. 2, 2024. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 3 stars.

Smiths Group SMIN

• Sector: Industrials

• Industry: Specialty Industrial Machinery

• Economic Moat: Wide

Smiths rose 20.2%, leaving the stock up 30.8% for the year. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 3 stars and is trading at a 2% premium to its fair value estimate of £20.30.

Metrics for the Worst-Performing Stocks

Greggs GRG

• Sector: Consumer Cyclical

• Industry: Restaurants

• Economic Moat: Not Rated

Greggs fell 22.8% in January and declined 16.4% over the past year. Shares are 33.8% below their last high on Sept. 20, 2024. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 3 stars.

Inchcape INCH

• Sector: Consumer Cyclical

• Industry: Auto & Truck Dealerships

• Economic Moat: Not Rated

Inchcape fell 12.3%, but was still up 3.1% over the past year. Shares are 22.8% below their last high on Aug. 1, 2024. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 5 stars.

Marks & Spencer MKS

• Sector: Consumer Cyclical

• Industry: Department Stores

• Economic Moat: None

Marks & Spencer fell 10.6%, but was still up 37.0% over the past year. Shares are 19.1% below their last high on Nov. 6, 2024. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 3 stars and is trading at a 2% discount to its fair value estimate of £3.42.

easyJet Airline Company EZJ

• Sector: Industrials

• Industry: Airlines

• Economic Moat: None

easyJet fell 8.6%, having fallen 7.2% from one year ago. Shares are 13.8% below their last high on Dec. 12, 2024. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 4 stars and is trading at a 20% discount to its fair value estimate of £6.40.

Harbour Energy HBR

• Sector: Energy

• Industry: Oil & Gas E&P

• Economic Moat: Not Rated

Harbour Energy fell 8.0%, leaving the stock down 9.6% for the year. Shares are 29.6% below their last high on June 3, 2024. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 5 stars.

Companies that are not formally covered by a Morningstar analyst are statistically matched to analyst-rated companies, allowing our models to calculate a quantitative star rating.


This article was generated with the help of automation and reviewed by Morningstar editors. Learn more about Morningstar’s use of automation.

The author or authors do not own shares in any securities mentioned in this article. Find out about Morningstar's editorial policies.

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

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Bella Albrecht  is associate data journalist at Morningstar

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