Stocks of 400 cos rise 100 per cent

Sensex may have gained 58% from its one-year low but did you know that over 400 companies have more than doubled their share prices from One year's lows.

As many as 20 largecaps such as RIL, SAIL, M&M , Sterlite, ICICI Bank and 30 mid-caps like Sesa Goa, Dish TV, Suzlon, Pantaloon and Unitech are among the 400-odd stocks which have given over 100% returns, if you would had bought them at their lows, an analysis of CMIE data shows.

Out of the 2600-odd stocks listed on the BSE and NSE, 405 stocks have at least doubled their values from their 365-day lows touched in October last year. Simply put, one out every six stocks has gained over 100% from their one-year bottom.

When Sensex dipped to 7,697 on October 27 last year, many stocks such as Jindal Steel and Power crashed to their lows as investor sentiment went for a toss.

However, the rise has been equally impressive with sensex now trading above the 12,000 mark. Shares of Jindal Steel, after languishing at Rs 517 on October 27, 2008, is now close to Rs 1,675 — tripling in value in a matter of just seven months.

"With experts and governments hoping and implementing measures for a quicker recovery for the global economy, bulls have quickly turned the tables on bears and bought stocks across the board. This has led to an extreme appetite for stocks as many investors including foreign ones, even a few months ago were lying on the sidelines with their money," says the equity head of a foreign brokerage.

With sensex gaining momentum, the prices of many index constituents have gone up. From Rs 47 a share, the stock of Jaiprakash Associates now stands at Rs 138. Others like Sterlite have also gained — touching Rs 518 from 365-day low of Rs 164 (October 27). Tata Motors too has jumped from Rs 122 hit on November 20 2008, to Rs 272 at present.

Amongst mid-caps (having a market capitalisation of between Rs 1,000 crore and Rs 5,000 crore), stocks such as Shree Global Trade Finance, Jai Corp, Lanco Infra, Shree Renuka and GVK Power have gone up over three times from their 365-day lows. With the stock markets losing steam and shape progressively from January 2009, many mid-caps and small-caps lost 50-60 % in less than two months.