The Year In Review
Best Performing Stocks of 2019
1 January – 31 December 2019
Of the 362 companies with a complete 2019, 162 finished the year higher and 200 finished lower. The median stock returned -2.9%.
- Stocks tracked
- 362
- Median return
- -2.9%
- Average return
- +1.4%
- Finished higher
- 44.8%
The Winners
Top 25 stocks of 2019
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 | ADANIGREENAdani Green Energy Ltd. | Power | +297.7% | ₹39,773 |
| 2 | NAM-INDIANippon Life India Asset Management Ltd. | Financial Services | +131.8% | ₹23,180 |
| 3 | AAVASAavas Financiers Ltd. | Financial Services | +131.0% | ₹23,103 |
| 4 | GRSEGarden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. | Capital Goods | +126.7% | ₹22,669 |
| 5 | HDFCAMCHDFC Asset Management Company Ltd. | Financial Services | +115.6% | ₹21,564 |
| 6 | CREDITACCCreditAccess Grameen Ltd. | Financial Services | +100.4% | ₹20,038 |
| 7 | MANAPPURAMManappuram Finance Ltd. | Financial Services | +94.0% | ₹19,405 |
| 8 | BALRAMCHINBalrampur Chini Mills Ltd. | Food Products | +87.2% | ₹18,722 |
| 9 | DIXONDixon Technologies (India) Ltd. | Consumer Durables | +84.3% | ₹18,434 |
| 10 | NAUKRIInfo Edge (India) Ltd. | Information Technology | +76.1% | ₹17,610 |
| 11 | ABBOTINDIAAbbott India Ltd. | Pharmaceuticals | +75.2% | ₹17,521 |
| 12 | SRFSRF Ltd. | Chemicals | +72.7% | ₹17,272 |
| 13 | WHIRLPOOLWhirlpool of India Ltd. | Consumer Durables | +71.2% | ₹17,124 |
| 14 | DEEPAKNTRDeepak Nitrite Ltd. | Chemicals | +70.0% | ₹16,997 |
| 15 | PIINDPI Industries Ltd. | Chemicals | +67.9% | ₹16,788 |
| 16 | ADANIENSOLAdani Energy Solutions Ltd. | Power | +67.0% | ₹16,704 |
| 17 | JKCEMENTJ.K. Cement Ltd. | Cement | +65.5% | ₹16,554 |
| 18 | LALPATHLABDr. Lal Path Labs Ltd. | Healthcare | +65.3% | ₹16,526 |
| 19 | APLAPOLLOAPL Apollo Tubes Ltd. | Metals & Mining | +62.9% | ₹16,292 |
| 20 | HDFCLIFEHDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd. | Insurance | +62.4% | ₹16,243 |
| 21 | MCXMulti Commodity Exchange of India Ltd. | Financial Services | +62.2% | ₹16,221 |
| 22 | ATGLAdani Total Gas Ltd. | Oil & Gas | +61.7% | ₹16,166 |
| 23 | SBILIFESBI Life Insurance Company Ltd. | Insurance | +61.4% | ₹16,138 |
| 24 | IGLIndraprastha Gas Ltd. | Oil & Gas | +61.4% | ₹16,136 |
| 25 | ICICIGIICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd. | Insurance | +61.3% | ₹16,134 |
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 2019
The same universe, from the bottom. Ranked by total return over the calendar year.
| # | Stock | Sector | Return | ₹10,000 became |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RPOWERReliance Power Ltd. | Power | -87.8% | ₹1,222 |
| 2 | CGPOWERCG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd. | Capital Goods | -75.9% | ₹2,408 |
| 3 | YESBANKYes Bank Ltd. | Banking | -73.8% | ₹2,618 |
| 4 | IDEAVodafone Idea Ltd. | Telecommunications | -73.0% | ₹2,702 |
| 5 | HEGH.E.G. Ltd. | Metals & Mining | -69.8% | ₹3,021 |
| 6 | SUZLONSuzlon Energy Ltd. | Power | -65.7% | ₹3,426 |
| 7 | SAMMAANCAPSammaan Capital Ltd. | Financial Services | -60.3% | ₹3,970 |
| 8 | INDIANBIndian Bank | Banking | -58.5% | ₹4,145 |
| 9 | CHENNPETROChennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd. | Oil & Gas | -58.3% | ₹4,167 |
| 10 | GRAPHITEGraphite India Ltd. | Metals & Mining | -56.0% | ₹4,397 |
| 11 | IFCIIFCI Ltd. | Financial Services | -55.9% | ₹4,415 |
| 12 | WOCKPHARMAWockhardt Ltd. | Pharmaceuticals | -55.3% | ₹4,471 |
| 13 | IRBIRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd. | Infrastructure | -54.6% | ₹4,539 |
| 14 | TEJASNETTejas Networks Ltd. | Telecommunications | -53.9% | ₹4,615 |
| 15 | HSCLHimadri Speciality Chemical Ltd. | Chemicals | -53.8% | ₹4,624 |
| 16 | INOXWINDInox Wind Ltd. | Power | -53.7% | ₹4,629 |
| 17 | PNBHOUSINGPNB Housing Finance Ltd. | Financial Services | -52.4% | ₹4,759 |
| 18 | CENTRALBKCentral Bank of India | Banking | -51.2% | ₹4,884 |
| 19 | POONAWALLAPoonawalla Fincorp Ltd. | Financial Services | -50.6% | ₹4,943 |
| 20 | CEMPROCemindia Projects Ltd. | Construction | -50.5% | ₹4,951 |
| 21 | GLENMARKGlenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. | Pharmaceuticals | -49.6% | ₹5,041 |
| 22 | GVT&DGE Vernova T&D India Ltd. | Capital Goods | -49.3% | ₹5,070 |
| 23 | IIFLIIFL Finance Ltd. | Financial Services | -48.8% | ₹5,122 |
| 24 | ABRELAditya Birla Real Estate Ltd. | Realty | -47.9% | ₹5,214 |
| 25 | GALLANTTGallantt Ispat Ltd. | Metals & Mining | -47.8% | ₹5,219 |
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 2019
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
- +12.0%
- ₹10,000 became ₹11,202
- Nifty 500
- +7.7%
- ₹10,000 became ₹10,766
By Sector
Best performing sectors of 2019
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Insurance | +55.4% | +33.5% | 6 | HDFCLIFE+62.4% |
| Realty | +31.5% | +21.6% | 9 | PRESTIGE+54.6% |
| Retail | +23.5% | +26.8% | 4 | TRENT+45.8% |
| Consumer Durables | +21.8% | +21.9% | 12 | DIXON+84.3% |
| Chemicals | +17.6% | +14.2% | 24 | SRF+72.7% |
| Financial Services | +11.8% | +18.1% | 36 | NAM-INDIA+131.8% |
| Healthcare | +9.0% | +17.9% | 8 | LALPATHLAB+65.3% |
| Oil & Gas | +2.0% | +6.7% | 14 | ATGL+61.7% |
| FMCG | +1.9% | +6.1% | 17 | TATACONSUM+48.1% |
| Power | +0.2% | +6.6% | 18 | ADANIGREEN+297.7% |
| Cement | -0.8% | +4.6% | 8 | JKCEMENT+65.5% |
| Diversified | -3.4% | -2.3% | 6 | ADANIENT+29.8% |
| Information Technology | -3.7% | -2.7% | 22 | NAUKRI+76.1% |
| Logistics | -3.9% | -2.3% | 6 | SCI+28.8% |
| Pharmaceuticals | -6.1% | -0.0% | 24 | ABBOTINDIA+75.2% |
| Textiles | -6.1% | -2.0% | 5 | KPRMILL+17.7% |
| Capital Goods | -9.0% | -7.7% | 37 | GRSE+126.7% |
| Telecommunications | -9.1% | -12.7% | 8 | BHARTIARTL+58.9% |
| Food Products | -12.6% | +4.0% | 4 | BALRAMCHIN+87.2% |
| Hospitality | -13.0% | -14.0% | 3 | INDHOTEL-1.5% |
| Automobile | -15.2% | -11.9% | 25 | BAJAJ-AUTO+19.7% |
| Banking | -15.9% | -12.1% | 26 | ICICIBANK+50.0% |
| Metals & Mining | -18.3% | -14.9% | 24 | APLAPOLLO+62.9% |
| Construction | -19.7% | -14.5% | 6 | RITES+36.0% |
| Media & Entertainment | -26.9% | -18.3% | 4 | PVRINOX+18.6% |
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 2019 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 2019 are absent, which matters most on the losing end of the table.
Full definitions are on our methodology page.
HELP CENTER
2019 stock returns — common questions
Everything you need to know about this page and the data presented.
Which stock performed best in 2019?+
Adani Green Energy Ltd. (ADANIGREEN) returned +297.7% over 2019, turning ₹10,000 into ₹39,773. 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 2019 a good year for Indian stocks?+
162 of the 362 companies with a complete 2019 finished higher, and the median stock returned -2.9%. The Nifty 50 returned +12.0%. The median is the more useful figure than the average of +1.4%: 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 2019?+
The Nifty 50 returned +12.0% over 2019. The broader Nifty 500 returned +7.7%. 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 2019?+
Among the companies still in today's Nifty 500, Reliance Power Ltd. (RPOWER) fell -87.8%, taking ₹10,000 down to ₹1,222. 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 2019?+
Insurance, with a median return of +55.4% across 6 companies and HDFCLIFE its strongest name at +62.4%. 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 2019 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 2019 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 2019?+
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.