We are currently investigating intermittent issues affecting access to some articles and pages on our site. We apologize for any inconvenience and are working to resolve this as quickly as possible.

Best- and Worst-Performing UK Stocks of 2024

Rolls-Royce and Barclays rank among the best stocks for the year, while the worst include Spirax and JD Sports.

Bella Albrecht 3 January, 2025 | 9:28AM
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Eine Illustration der Jahreszahl "2025", wobei die Zahl 4 von oben ausgeblendet wird und die 5 an ihre Stelle tritt.

The Morningstar UK Large-Mid Cap Index rose 10.4% in 2024 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 year 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 2024

• International Airlines Group IAG
• NatWest Group NWG
• Rolls-Royce Holdings RR.
• DS Smith SMDS
• Barclays BARC

Worst-Performing Stocks of 2024

• Ocado Group OCDO
• JD Sports Fashion JD.
• Vistry Group VTY
• Spirax Group SPX
• Frasers Group FRAS

Metrics for the Best-Performing Stocks

International Airlines Group IAG

• Sector: Industrials
• Industry: Airlines
• Economic Moat: None

International Airlines Group surged 15.8% in December, lifting shares 97.4% over the past year. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 2 stars and is trading at a 35% premium to its fair value estimate of £2.24.

NatWest Group NWG

• Sector: Financial Services
• Industry: Banks - Regional
• Economic Moat: None

NatWest fell 0.1% over the past month, but was still up 95.6% over the past year. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 2 stars and is trading at a 12% premium to its fair value estimate of £3.60.

Rolls-Royce Holdings RR.

• Sector: Industrials
• Industry: Aerospace & Defense
• Economic Moat: Narrow

Rolls-Royce rose 1.8% in December, bringing the stock up 89.7% over the past year. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 2 stars and is trading at a 50% premium to its fair value estimate of £3.80.

DS Smith SMDS

• Sector: Consumer Cyclical
• Industry: Packaging & Containers
• Economic Moat: Not Rated

DS Smith fell 5.9% over the past month, but was still up 83.2% over the past year. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 2 stars.

Barclays BARC

• Sector: Financial Services
• Industry: Banks - Diversified
• Economic Moat: None

Barclays rose 1.6% in December, lifting shares 82.3% from one year ago. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 3 stars and is trading at a 17% premium to its fair value estimate of £2.30.

Metrics for the Worst-Performing Stocks

Ocado Group OCDO

• Sector: Consumer Defensive
• Industry: Grocery Stores
• Economic Moat: None

Ocado fell 4.2% in December, having fallen 60.1% from one year ago. Shares are 60.5% below their last high on Jan. 2, 2024. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 5 stars and is trading at a 67% discount its fair value estimate of £9.20.

JD Sports Fashion JD.

• Sector: Consumer Cyclical
• Industry: Apparel Retail
• Economic Moat: Not Rated

JD Sports fell 5.8% over the past month, leaving the stock down 41.8% for the year. Shares are 42.5% below their last high on Jan. 2, 2024. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 5 stars.

Vistry Group VTY

• Sector: Consumer Cyclical
• Industry: Residential Construction
• Economic Moat: Not Rated

Vistry fell 12.8% in December and declined 37.7% over the past year. Shares are 60.2% below their last high on Sept. 6, 2024. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 5 stars.

Spirax Group SPX

• Sector: Industrials
• Industry: Specialty Industrial Machinery
• Economic Moat: Wide

Spirax fell 4.4% over the past month, having fallen 33.4% from one year ago. Shares are 39.2% below their last high on March 7, 2024. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 4 stars and is trading at a 29% discount to its fair value estimate of £96.50.

Frasers Group FRAS

• Sector: Consumer Cyclical
• Industry: Specialty Retail
• Economic Moat: Not Rated

Frasers slid 17.3% in December, leaving the stock down 33.1% for the year. Shares are 34.2% below their last high on Jan. 2, 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.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

About Author

Bella Albrecht  is associate data journalist at Morningstar

© Copyright 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Terms of Use        Privacy Policy        Modern Slavery Statement        Cookie Settings        Disclosures