The best and worst performing ASX 200 stocks in every sector for FY25

FY25 has been a stellar year for markets, with the S&P/ASX 200 up 9.9% thanks to relentless flows into Commonwealth Bank, the still-soaring AI thematic and resilience from defensive pockets of the market.

Here's a simple view of the three best and worst performing stocks from every S&P/ASX 200 sector for the financial year.

Telecommunications

EVT topped the leaderboard as an undervalued and underappreciated play. The stock has largely traded nowhere since 2015, but found some momentum in FY25 due to a recovery in earnings in its cinema business.

Telstra was no doubt a fan favourite, in a move that was largely powered by its first-half FY25 result, where EBITDA was a beat across all segments alongside 6% interim dividend growth and a $750 million on-market buyback, which was earlier than what analysts had expected.

Discretionary

No retailer could match Temple & Webster, which more than doubled in FY25. Earnings were a key driver, with the stock posting double-digit percentage gains on both its FY24 and 1H25 results, highlighting significant progress toward profitability.

At the other end was IDP, caught in a cycle of earnings downgrades and regulatory headwinds. On June 3, the company announced dire FY25 guidance (approximately 25% below consensus), nearly halving its share price from $7.47 to $4.02 and wiping around $1 billion from its market cap.

Staples

A bumper FY24 result drove Bega Cheese 20% higher in just two sessions, though the stock struggled to maintain momentum in 2025, trading slightly lower.

Coles extended its outperformance relative to Woolworths, with analysts like Citi expecting it to maintain stronger like-for-like sales growth over the next few quarters, driven by investments in automated distribution systems including Witron and Ocado.

Energy

Uranium stocks managed to both top and bottom the leaderboard, as Paladin Energy underperformed the sector due to operational challenges.

The sector experienced a strong finish to FY25 after the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust announced plans to buy around $200 million of physical uranium, which typically tightens the market and places upward pressure on uranium prices.

Despite plenty of positive drivers, uranium prices have slipped around 8% from US$86/lb to US$79/lb over the past twelve months.

Financials

Aggressive growth names like Generation Development Group, Zip and Hub24 topped the leaderboards by a wide margin, while HMC Capital – one of 2024's best performers – hit the backburner. This was largely driven by headwinds from its investments including Healthscope and DigiCo.

Health Care

Sigma Healthcare's merger with Chemist Warehouse created one of the most incredible rallies, with the stock moving sharply higher on each regulatory clearance. As the merger gained clarity, the stock's potential inclusion in the S&P/ASX 200 drove strong buying from index trackers, ETFs and institutional investors.

At the other end, former biotech darling Clarity Pharmaceuticals fizzled after gaining more than 10x between mid-2024 and late-2024.

Industrials

Austal topped the leaderboard thanks to several tailwinds including a rise in global defence spending, the increased potential of another takeover offer from Hanwha and potential near-term finalisation of Australia Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement (SSA), potentially leading to ~A$4bn in contracts.

On the other end, Reece finished FY25 on a negative note, experiencing a 18% selloff on Friday, 27 June. The company downgraded its FY25 EBIT guidance to $548-558 million (6.4% below Macquarie estimates) due to challenging macroeconomic conditions and margin deterioration.

Real Estate

Real estate stocks were broadly higher in FY25 amid a volatile year for bond yields. The Australian 10-year government bond yield started the financial year around 4.4%, hit lows of 3.8% by September 2024, surged to highs of 4.7% by November 2024 (when Powell suggested the Fed would consider raising rates), and has generally trended lower to 4.1% today.

Technology

TechnologyOne managed to beat other high-flying names like Life360 and Codan. The company executed flawlessly in FY25, crushing both FY24 and 1H25 earnings expectations, with the stock rallying 9.8% and 11.3% on each result respectively. During the year, TechnologyOne surpassed its $500 million annual recurring revenue target and reiterated its long-term goal of $1 billion ARR, with profit before tax margins exceeding 35% (versus 1H25's 28.7%).

Meanwhile, Nuix delivered a full-circle performance, rallying around 155% between June and November 2024, then falling 70% from November to date following a series of earnings downgrades.

Materials

It should come as no surprise that gold names topped the Materials complex while lithium stocks remained dead in the water.

Utilities

There are only three utilities companies in the S&P/ASX 200, with relatively flattish performances.