New research has pinpointed the 20 most consistent performing stocks on the FTSE All Share index over the last 20 years. Domino’s Pizza UK & Ireland (DOM) has been the best and most consistent performer, according to the quantitative research conducted by analysts at Societe Generale (GLE).
The study looked at which FTSE stocks an investor "could have bought in any month since 1993 and made a positive return on a buy-and-hold total return basis, assuming [they] held the stock for five years." This means that all of the stocks included on this list have made a positive return in any given 5 year period. For example, investors who bought and held onto shares in Domino’s Pizza in any month since its IPO would have made a positive return. The same goes for the other 19 stocks listed below:
1. Domino's Pizza UK & Ireland (DOM)
2. Centamin (CEY)
3. BHP Billiton (BLT)
4. Genus (GNS)
5. Imperial Tobacco Group (IMT)
6. Synergy Health (SYR)
7. Dechra Pharmaceuticals (DPH)
8. SABMiller (SAB)
9. BG Group (BG.)
10. Ultra Electronics Holdings (ULE)
11. A.G. Barr (BAG)
12. Next (NXT)
13. Cobham (COB)
14. SSE (SSE)
15. Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB.)
16. Hardy Underwriting Bermuda (HDU)
17. Bunzl (BNZL)
18. Centrica (CNA)
19. Greggs (GRG)
20. Diageo (DGE)
The quantitative study by Societe Generale was launched because research analyst Andrew Lapthorne said he was looking for some reliable buy-and-hold stocks to put in his ISA (individual savings account) ahead of the deadline for the 2011-2012 tax year. While he didn't act on the study's results for his own personal investment portfolio, Lapthorne says he thought the results were very interesting because the list of 20 companies all have strong balance sheets and steady performance. "It’s a slow and steady list," said Lapthorne.
Lapthorne admits that past share price performance doesn't predict future performance, however, "if you can deliver some sort of consistent return over that time period, you must have something going for you," he said.
The study pinpointed the above 20 companies after examining all 455 stocks that currently trade on the FTSE All Share index (excluding investment trusts). While not all of these companies were listed 20 years ago, companies were included in the final analysis if they had a trading record of at least 10 years. This meant just 329 stocks qualified for the analysis. Out of those 329 companies, only the above 20 made positive total returns on a five year view, when purchased in any month from 1993 to 2007 onwards. The companies were then ranked from one to 20 based on their average performance.