The Year In Review
Best Performing Stocks of 2016
1 January – 31 December 2016
Of the 313 companies with a complete 2016, 188 finished the year higher and 125 finished lower. The median stock returned +7.1%.
- Stocks tracked
- 313
- Median return
- +7.1%
- Average return
- +11.3%
- Finished higher
- 60.1%
The Winners
Top 25 stocks of 2016
Ranked by total return over the calendar year, December close to December close. The ₹10,000 column is the same simulation baseline used across the site.
| # | Stock | Sector | Return | ₹10,000 became |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VEDLVedanta Ltd. | Metals & Mining | +141.1% | ₹24,109 |
| 2 | MANAPPURAMManappuram Finance Ltd. | Financial Services | +137.8% | ₹23,785 |
| 3 | SWANCORPSwan Corp Ltd. | Diversified | +122.5% | ₹22,246 |
| 4 | HSCLHimadri Speciality Chemical Ltd. | Chemicals | +121.2% | ₹22,124 |
| 5 | SARDAENSarda Energy and Minerals Ltd. | Metals & Mining | +108.5% | ₹20,851 |
| 6 | HINDZINCHindustan Zinc Ltd. | Metals & Mining | +101.6% | ₹20,161 |
| 7 | INDIANBIndian Bank | Banking | +93.3% | ₹19,335 |
| 8 | BIOCONBiocon Ltd. | Healthcare | +85.3% | ₹18,529 |
| 9 | BALRAMCHINBalrampur Chini Mills Ltd. | Food Products | +84.5% | ₹18,453 |
| 10 | HINDALCOHindalco Industries Ltd. | Metals & Mining | +84.1% | ₹18,412 |
| 11 | SPLPETROSupreme Petrochem Ltd. | Chemicals | +76.7% | ₹17,669 |
| 12 | IGLIndraprastha Gas Ltd. | Oil & Gas | +75.7% | ₹17,570 |
| 13 | PCBLPCBL Chemical Ltd. | Chemicals | +74.4% | ₹17,443 |
| 14 | ESCORTSEscorts Kubota Ltd. | Capital Goods | +73.2% | ₹17,322 |
| 15 | BALKRISINDBalkrishna Industries Ltd. | Automobile | +72.4% | ₹17,241 |
| 16 | NATIONALUMNational Aluminium Co. Ltd. | Metals & Mining | +71.6% | ₹17,159 |
| 17 | HINDPETROHindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. | Oil & Gas | +64.5% | ₹16,455 |
| 18 | FINCABLESFinolex Cables Ltd. | Capital Goods | +64.5% | ₹16,449 |
| 19 | UNOMINDAUNO Minda Ltd. | Automobile | +64.2% | ₹16,416 |
| 20 | NMDCNMDC Ltd. | Metals & Mining | +61.5% | ₹16,153 |
| 21 | YESBANKYes Bank Ltd. | Banking | +60.9% | ₹16,090 |
| 22 | MUTHOOTFINMuthoot Finance Ltd. | Financial Services | +59.1% | ₹15,914 |
| 23 | JSWSTEELJSW Steel Ltd. | Metals & Mining | +58.5% | ₹15,849 |
| 24 | COROMANDELCoromandel International Ltd. | Chemicals | +58.0% | ₹15,799 |
| 25 | DCMSHRIRAMDCM Shriram Ltd. | Chemicals | +57.0% | ₹15,703 |
A year of this size usually reflects a recovery from a low base or a re-rating rather than a repeatable rate of growth — which is why last year's leaders so rarely lead the next one.
The Losers
Worst performing stocks of 2016
The same universe, from the bottom. Ranked by total return over the calendar year.
| # | Stock | Sector | Return | ₹10,000 became |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WOCKPHARMAWockhardt Ltd. | Pharmaceuticals | -56.4% | ₹4,362 |
| 2 | INTELLECTIntellect Design Arena Ltd. | Information Technology | -50.2% | ₹4,984 |
| 3 | INOXWINDInox Wind Ltd. | Power | -49.4% | ₹5,059 |
| 4 | JWLJupiter Wagons Ltd. | Capital Goods | -48.4% | ₹5,161 |
| 5 | IDEAVodafone Idea Ltd. | Telecommunications | -48.0% | ₹5,199 |
| 6 | RKFORGERamkrishna Forgings Ltd. | Capital Goods | -45.9% | ₹5,409 |
| 7 | JPPOWERJaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd. | Power | -44.0% | ₹5,603 |
| 8 | ZENTECZen Technologies Ltd. | Defence | -42.6% | ₹5,741 |
| 9 | JUBLFOODJubilant Foodworks Ltd. | Retail | -42.4% | ₹5,763 |
| 10 | ABFRLAditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. | Retail | -40.3% | ₹5,968 |
| 11 | SAREGAMASaregama India Ltd | Media & Entertainment | -39.9% | ₹6,006 |
| 12 | HFCLHFCL Ltd. | Telecommunications | -38.9% | ₹6,107 |
| 13 | SCIShipping Corporation of India Ltd. | Logistics | -37.3% | ₹6,267 |
| 14 | TATAELXSITata Elxsi Ltd. | Information Technology | -36.9% | ₹6,315 |
| 15 | UNITDSPRUnited Spirits Ltd. | FMCG | -35.0% | ₹6,495 |
| 16 | BLUEDARTBlue Dart Express Ltd. | Logistics | -35.0% | ₹6,498 |
| 17 | WELCORPWelspun Corp Ltd. | Metals & Mining | -34.4% | ₹6,563 |
| 18 | SUZLONSuzlon Energy Ltd. | Power | -33.8% | ₹6,619 |
| 19 | INDIGOInterGlobe Aviation Ltd. | Aviation | -32.3% | ₹6,770 |
| 20 | DIVISLABDivi's Laboratories Ltd. | Pharmaceuticals | -31.4% | ₹6,856 |
| 21 | ELECONElecon Engineering Co. Ltd. | Capital Goods | -31.2% | ₹6,877 |
| 22 | BHELBharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. | Capital Goods | -28.1% | ₹7,185 |
| 23 | IPCALABIpca Laboratories Ltd. | Pharmaceuticals | -28.1% | ₹7,185 |
| 24 | JINDALSTELJindal Steel Ltd. | Metals & Mining | -28.1% | ₹7,190 |
| 25 | GMRAIRPORTGMR Airports Ltd. | Infrastructure | -27.7% | ₹7,226 |
Two caveats matter more here than on the board above. Our data source does not credit demergers, so a company that spun off a subsidiary can show a fall that was a restructuring rather than a loss. And businesses that collapsed or delisted are not on this site at all — the genuinely worst performers of a bad year may be missing entirely.
The Market
What the indices did in 2016
The benchmark a stock has to beat to have been worth picking individually. Measured on the same December-to-December, dividends-reinvested basis as every row above, which puts these a little above the price change usually quoted in the press.
- Nifty 50
- +3.0%
- ₹10,000 became ₹10,301
- Nifty 500
- +3.8%
- ₹10,000 became ₹10,384
By Sector
Best performing sectors of 2016
Ranked by the median company in each sector, not the average. Where the two diverge sharply, the sector rose on a few names rather than broadly — which is worth knowing before reading a headline average as a description of the whole industry.
| Sector | Median | Average | Stocks | Best in sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil & Gas | +41.6% | +36.1% | 12 | IGL+75.7% |
| Chemicals | +27.7% | +30.8% | 24 | HSCL+121.2% |
| Metals & Mining | +27.2% | +33.3% | 24 | VEDL+141.1% |
| Financial Services | +26.6% | +29.8% | 26 | MANAPPURAM+137.8% |
| Food Products | +25.8% | +36.1% | 4 | BALRAMCHIN+84.5% |
| Cement | +21.4% | +19.5% | 7 | RAMCOCEM+41.9% |
| Healthcare | +16.9% | +22.0% | 6 | BIOCON+85.3% |
| Automobile | +14.5% | +16.1% | 24 | BALKRISIND+72.4% |
| Construction | +14.4% | +15.7% | 4 | CEMPRO+36.4% |
| Media & Entertainment | +11.3% | +6.6% | 4 | PVRINOX+43.5% |
| Diversified | +8.9% | +24.4% | 6 | SWANCORP+122.5% |
| Textiles | +2.8% | +9.4% | 5 | VTL+36.7% |
| Consumer Durables | +2.0% | +5.8% | 9 | WHIRLPOOL+36.9% |
| Power | +1.6% | +1.6% | 16 | ADANIENSOL+53.8% |
| Banking | -0.1% | +7.7% | 22 | INDIANB+93.3% |
| Capital Goods | -1.6% | +2.3% | 31 | ESCORTS+73.2% |
| Realty | -2.3% | +1.0% | 9 | ABREL+34.8% |
| FMCG | -3.3% | -4.2% | 16 | MARICO+17.2% |
| Information Technology | -4.0% | -8.1% | 19 | MPHASIS+17.9% |
| Logistics | -5.8% | -9.4% | 6 | AEGISLOG+23.9% |
| Pharmaceuticals | -9.5% | -4.5% | 22 | JUBLPHARMA+55.1% |
| Telecommunications | -19.1% | -7.1% | 7 | ITI+46.9% |
| Retail | -40.3% | -22.6% | 3 | TRENT+15.0% |
Sectors with fewer than three listed companies are omitted — an average over two stocks describes those two stocks, not an industry.
How This Is Calculated
Reading these figures properly
Complete years only
December close to December close. A company that listed partway through 2016 has no figure for it, and the current year never appears until it has ended — a fragment of a year reported as a year is a quietly wrong number.
Total return
Prices are adjusted for dividends and stock splits, so dividends count as reinvested. That puts these figures a little above the price changes quoted elsewhere. Demergers are not credited, and brokerage and taxes are not modelled.
Survivors only
This is today's Nifty 500 universe. Companies that delisted or collapsed since 2016 are absent, which matters most on the losing end of the table.
Full definitions are on our methodology page.
HELP CENTER
2016 stock returns — common questions
Everything you need to know about this page and the data presented.
Which stock performed best in 2016?+
Vedanta Ltd. (VEDL) returned +141.1% over 2016, turning ₹10,000 into ₹24,109. That is a record of what happened in one calendar year, not a recommendation, and a year of that size is almost never repeated by the same company.
Was 2016 a good year for Indian stocks?+
188 of the 313 companies with a complete 2016 finished higher, and the median stock returned +7.1%. The Nifty 50 returned +3.0%. The median is the more useful figure than the average of +11.3%: averages are pulled around by a handful of extreme performers, while the median describes what the typical stock actually did.
What was the Nifty return in 2016?+
The Nifty 50 returned +3.0% over 2016. The broader Nifty 500 returned +3.8%. Both are measured December close to December close on the adjusted index level, so dividends are treated as reinvested — which makes them a little higher than the price change usually quoted in the press.
Which stock performed worst in 2016?+
Among the companies still in today's Nifty 500, Wockhardt Ltd. (WOCKPHARMA) fell -56.4%, taking ₹10,000 down to ₹4,362. Read this list with two caveats. Our data source does not credit demergers, so a company that spun off a subsidiary can show a fall that was a restructuring rather than a loss. And businesses that collapsed or delisted are not on this site at all, so the genuinely worst performers of a bad year may be missing entirely.
Which sector performed best in 2016?+
Oil & Gas, with a median return of +41.6% across 12 companies and IGL its strongest name at +75.7%. Sectors are ranked by their median company rather than their average, because one outsized winner can lift an average without most of the sector having moved.
How are 2016 returns calculated?+
December close to December close, on prices adjusted for dividends and stock splits — so these are total returns with dividends treated as reinvested, not price changes. Only complete years appear: a company that listed partway through 2016 has no figure for it, and the current year is never shown until it has ended. Brokerage and taxes are not modelled, and demergers are not credited.
Should I buy the best performing stocks of 2016?+
This page does not answer that, and we do not make recommendations. A year of exceptional returns often reflects a recovery from a low base, a favourable cycle, or a re-rating that cannot repeat — which is why last year's leaders so rarely lead the next one. ReturnScreener is an educational research platform and is not a SEBI-registered investment adviser. Treat this as a record of what happened, and a starting point for asking why.
Another year
Every complete year we hold, newest first. The contrast between them is the point: a stock that led one year is rarely near the top of the next.
Continue Your Research
Beyond a single year
One calendar year is the shortest useful window there is. These read the same record over longer ones.
ReturnScreener is an educational research platform and is not a SEBI-registered investment adviser. Everything on this page is a record of what historical prices did, not a projection and not a recommendation. Past performance does not guarantee future returns. See our methodology and disclaimer.