European football championships, the Olympics but also Piazza Affari: a golden 2021

European Football Championships, the Olympics and more. Italy's 2021 aims to end with an even more prestigious gold medal, namely that of stock list best performing in Europe. Since the beginning of the year, in fact, the FTSE Mib recorded a growth of no less than 22 percentage points, far exceeding the highs reached since 2008. An extraordinary result which confirms the lively recovery of the national economic fabric and which, if further improved in this month of December, could bring the list of 40 companies capitalization Italian companies to establish itself as the best of the year in Europe. To date, in fact, only the Dutch AEX (+27%) and the French CAC40 (+24%) are recording higher returns, while all the other European exchanges follow ours Business Square.

However, the titles that achieved the best returns in this golden 2021 could push the final sprint. We are talking about the banks, whose return to the disbursement of dividends it has pushed its returns on the price list, but also of those companies best able to ride the post-Covid Italian economic recovery. 

STELLANTIS LEADS THE TROOPS

Among the large Italian companies, the best since the beginning of the year is undoubtedly Stellantis. The automotive group led by Carlos Tavares – which includes Fiat among others – has achieved a total return of 70% from January to today. There are several elements to guide investor confidence, first of all the big digitization plan of the driving experience that promises to increase revenues by 4 billion euros a year by 2026. A goal that the subsidiary of the Exor group wants to pursue with global strategic alliances such as those with Foxconn on semiconductors and the one with Waymo on projects of autonomous driving. All elements that could push other purchases of the title in this final phase of 2021.

At a certain distance from Stellantis there are then two large groups of Italian industry which have achieved staggering returns since the beginning of the year. The first is Eni, which made a total return of 53% on the back of the sharp rise in oil prices which reached new highs above $70 a barrel. Third place for InterPump which grew by more than 51% and wins the confidence of investors both for its constantly growing earnings and for its potential strategic M&A deals. 

GOOD BANKS

At the foot of the podium there are therefore the banks. Among them, the best performing in Piazza Affari in 2021 was UniCredit which benefited from the optimism towards the new CEO Andrea Orcel and, above all, from the latter's no to the Treasury for a strategic operation with MPS which presented more than one perplexity at the level of capital. 

In the sector, however, there is another operator that amazes for its ability to guarantee returns for its investors: General Bank. For years now, the jewel of the Generali Group has consistently been among the fastest growing listed companies. Suffice it to say that since the beginning of the year it has given its investors a total return of 49%, including the maxi dividend accumulated for the 2019-20 financial years which has brought shareholders a good 2,7 euros per share. Sum to which will be added a further coupon of 0,60 euro which will be paid in February 2022. In addition to these elements, then, investors have looked to the Banca Generali share for its ability - unique on the Italian market - to grow sustainable by riding the ESG investment trend with a proposal capable of associating customers' financial objectives with the SDGs of the 2030 UN Agenda. The trust around private banks has pushed the capitalization to over 2021 billion in 5 and the market that now awaits with curiosity to know the objectives of the 2022-24 business plan which will be communicated next February.   

BLACK JERSEY IN SAIPEM

In the record-breaking FTSE Mib of this 2021, however, there is also room for some disappointment. In fact, only three companies closed the year with a negative result. The antepenultimate step of the podium goes to Enel which marks a -15% but which could recover ground after the maxi sale of 50% of Open Fiber which brought over 2,7 billion euros as a dowry. It does a little worse nexi, whose -16% apparently seems to be bucking the trend for a company with accounts up 10% and on the brink of completing its strategic deal with Sia in digital payments. 

The black jersey goes to Saipem. The energy giant records a -17% per year which is largely due to the fluctuations in the cost of gas and oil. Three different situations but with all the margin to score a rebound. Could the final sprint in Piazza Affari be entrusted to them?

BUSINESS PLACE: THE TOP 10 OF 2021 FOR TOTAL RETURN

And here is the ranking of the best shares of Piazza Affari by total return in 2021: