ASX 200 stocks with the best performance: Return, momentum, risk-vs-reward – Week 45
ASX 200 Data Insights series brings you the latest data on key value, profitability and performance metrics for Australia’s biggest stocks.
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Mentioned
KEY POINTS
- Big changes in the best performers list, particularly over the last week! Everything except DMP is new – which highlights just how amazing that stock's turnaround has been over the last 2 weeks.
- Uranium stocks BOE and PDN flamed out of last week's Top 20 due to a sharp drop in the uranium price, while PLS and MIN did a similar pop-then-drop as the lithium price pulled back.
- Perhaps the biggest group of changes in this week's edition includes WTC – it's appearance in a particular list confirms it as one of the worst possible investments one could have made over the last 12-months.
Welcome to ASX 200 Data Insights: Performance. At Market Index we continuously maintain an extensive database of critical financial and performance data for the Australian share market. You can find much of this data in the dedicated pages in “Stock Scans” and “Popular Pages” in the main menu above, or in our Data Insights category.
In this edition of Data Insights, we aim to bring you a summary of some of the most interesting performance data we’ve collected for the stocks listed in the S&P/ASX 200. The main criteria of focus are:
KEY DATA – RETURN-BASED METRICS
1-week Share Price Performance %
1-month Share Price Performance %
1-year Share Price Performance %
KEY DATA – MOMENTUM-BASED METRICS
Share Price Performance: Furthest from 12-month low % (“Strongest”)
Share Price Performance: Furthest from 12-month high % (“Weakest”)
KEY DATA – REWARD-VS-RISK-BASED METRICS
1-yr Sortino Ratio: Best
1-yr Sortino Ratio: Worst
Don’t worry if all these datapoints seem like a different language! For each category, we’ll provide an explanation of what it does, its importance, and how to practically use it to compare stocks across the ASX 200. If a stock is highlighted in green, it means it is a new entrant to a particular list. All of our data is accurate at the time of publication, and is based on the close of trading on Thursday 6 November.
KEY DATA – RETURN-BASED METRICS
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-week return
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 1-week return. All data as per close of trade Thursday 6 November.
Bottom 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-week return
Bottom 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 1-week return. All data as per close of trade Thursday 6 November.
The best (top) and worst (bottom) performing stocks over the last 5 trading days, a momentum scan for stocks exhibiting strong very short term positive momentum.
Observations:
Top 20 INS: Big changes! Everything except DMP is new – which highlights just how amazing that stock's turnaround has been over the last 2 weeks (it made its first appearance in the Top 20 list last week after a withering bear market!). Mainly "bouncing" gold stocks, like EMR, WGX, GGP, RRL, CMM, CYL, GMD, NEM, VAU, RMS, but also big banks CBA, WBC, and BEN on a general re-rating of the sector after NAB and WBC results. LNW announced positive earnings and a share buyback, WDS hosted its Capital Markets Day.
Top 20 OUTS: Everything except DMP! Most notable, however, has to be uranium stocks BOE and PDN which flamed out of last week's Top 20 due to a sharp drop in the uranium price (it was up the week before which helped them into last week's Top 20), plus PLS and MIN which did a similar pop-then-drop as the lithium price pulled back this week. Ah, the joys of commodities investing! 🤦 GYG was the other notable Top to Bottom list switcher – but no news here – it seems the big fund managers chose to sell into its rally.
Bottom 20 INS: JHX and NEU leaped to the top of this ignominious list, JHX on a media report that it may be removed from ASX indices as soon as the end of this month, and NEU on a sales update. DYL and IGO entered on the aforementioned uranium-lithium prices downturns, while there was no news for GQG – just the continuation of a terrible long term downtrend in its share price.
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-month return
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 1-month return. All data as per close of trade Thursday 6 November.
The best performing stocks over the last month. Also included for your reference are the Top 20’s proximity to their 1-month high, e.g., “-2%” indicates the stock in question is currently 2% from its 1-month high (lower is generally considered better). This is a momentum scan for stocks exhibiting strong short-term momentum.
Observations:
DMP is the clear standout as speculation grows around an imminent takeover by private equity. A 50% monthly gain sounds impressive, but you needed the guts and the foresight to buy it a month ago – because if you'd held it for a whole year – you'd still be down around 50%! Swings and roundabouts!
As good as... Coal! YAL and NHC join WHC in the monthly top gainers list with each sporting a roughly 10% monthly gain.
WDS's resurgence continues...
ANZ rounds out a strong list of strong short term banking sector performances
CIA was new in the last last week, and has risen up it this week – a special mention deserved here 💪
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-year return
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 12-month return. All data as per close of trade Thursday 6 November.
The best performing stocks over the last year. Also included for your reference are the Top 20’s proximity to their 1-year high, e.g., “-2%” indicates the stock in question is currently 2% from its 1-year high (lower is generally considered better). This is a momentum scan for stocks exhibiting strong medium-term momentum.
Observations:
INS: Gold, gold, gold! As in, EVN, VAU, NEM, and WGX... this weeks new entrants (note, EVN and VAU dropped out last week, so let's call theirs' a triumphant return!). The sector enjoyed a broad re-rate / rally after a couple of weeks of pullback from their prior heroics. But! Consider that the gold price is largely unchanged.
OUTS: TAH, IPX, LYC and MND.
KEY DATA – MOMENTUM-BASED METRICS
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by Furthest from 1-year low % ("Strongest")
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by Furthest from rolling 1-year low % (Strongest). All data as per close of trade Thursday 6 November.
More targeted than the previous 1-year return scan, this scan highlights stocks that have staged the strongest recoveries from recent troughs and or those that have exhibited consistent momentum in the medium term. It signals investor confidence and assists in identifying market leaders and sectors that might be currently favoured by fund managers.
Observations:
INS: Ditto on the stocks WGX, EVN, and VAU. MP1 and CSC are other new entrants, but these two are possibly more likely due to them holding their ground in a broadly declining market.
OUTS: NEU, ASB, PDN, LYC, DYL.
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by Furthest from 1-year high % ("Weakest")
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by Furthest from 1-year high % (Weakest). All data as per close of trade Thursday 6 November.
This scan highlights stocks trading furthest below their recent peaks, often reflecting weaker momentum, reduced investor conviction, or sector headwinds. It can help identify potential value opportunities if fundamentals remain intact, or conversely, warn of stocks and industries currently out of favour with fund managers.
Observations:
INS: DYL and IPX are the new entrants as the uranium / critical minerals stories come off the boil. JHX is the most notable in terms of a dreaded move up the list, while DMP is sliding the right way here – down the list, with a view to hopefully escaping from it!
OUTS: PMV, EBO.
KEY DATA – REWARD-VS-RISK-BASED METRICS
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-year Sortino Ratio: Best
Top 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 1-year Sortino Ratio: Best. All data as per close of trade Thursday 6 November.
The Sortino Ratio is a powerful risk-reward metric. It compares excess returns to downside volatility, isolating harmful losses without penalising gains. Generally, a Sortino Ratio greater than 1.0 is considered acceptable as it signifies that the investment is generating returns above the minimum acceptable rate without taking on disproportionate downside risk. A higher Sortino Ratio is always preferred, as it signals stronger risk-adjusted performance and highlights investments delivering better returns per unit of downside risk taken.
Observations:
INS: Another 2 golds in NEM and PRU sneaking in...
OUTS: ALQ, ASB (ALQ didn't do much wrong, it's just been overtaken by a few; ASB is part of a broader defence sector correction that has knocked a substantial amount of stuffing out of DRO's 12-month performance – now down 49.3% from it's recent peak!).
Bottom 20 ASX 200 Stocks by 1-year Sortino Ratio: Worst
Bottom 20 ASX 200 Stocks by rolling 1-year rolling Sortino Ratio: Worst. All data as per close of trade Thursday 6 November.
Observations:
INS: This is perhaps the biggest group of changes in this week's edition for me. WTC has been struggling recently, and it's appearance in this list confirms it as one of the worst possible investments in the ASX 200 one could have made over the last 12-months. Other new entrants are stocks with equally diabolical 12-month performances in ELD and JHX.
OUTS: DMP, ORA, ARF (all good here – this is not a list you want to be on – it represents the worst stocks to have been invested in on a risk-vs-reward basis over the last 12-months 👎).
So, rather than just pure performance (or underperformance) as per the previous lists, this is a far stronger and more relevant measure of which stocks have beaten and lagged the market on a risk-adjusted basis.
Ultimately it boils down to this: If your portfolio resembles the "Best" list, then you've done a very good job of managing your money over the last 12-months. However, if your portfolio resembles the "Worst" list, then you may need to rethink your investing strategy! 😉
