Top 10 stocks in UK

The UK has one of the oldest stock markets in the world. Set up in 1571, the London Stock Exchange’s (LSE) trading history dates back to 1698 when broker John Castaing started posting the costs of shares and items at a common gathering place among regular visitors.

At present, the UK stock market uses various indices like FTSE All-Share index, FTSE SmallCap index, FTSE Fledging index etc. to help investors identify the trends in the stock market and make informed and profitable investment decisions.

We have shortlisted the top 10 stocks in UK as per the market capitalisation value of the outstanding shares of the companies.

1. Unilever PLC (LON:ULVR)

Unilever PLC is a UK-based multinational consumer goods company. It operates in Europe, America, and Asia. Its products include food and beverages, home and personal care items, healthcare products, and others. In 2020, the cash flow from operating activities of the company were estimated to be €10.9bn and the operating margin was 16.4%. The turnover growth was 2.4%, which averaged 0.9% over a period of five years.

2. Royal Dutch Shell (LON:RDSA)

Royal Dutch Shell is a Netherlands-based multinational oil and gas company. It operates across Europe, America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. In 2020, it was ranked as the 21^st largest public company in the world, according to Forbes Global 2000. The company recorded a total revenue of US$180.54 billion in 2020. The profits of the company slided by over 70% due to the economic restrictions and the pandemic slump.

3. Astrazeneca Plc (LON: AZN)

Astrazeneca Plc is one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in the world and is based in the UK. Besides LSE, the company has secondary listings on the Nasdaq New York, Nasdaq OMX Stockholm, Bombay Stock Exchange and National stock Exchange of India. The total revenue of the company in 2020 was US$26.6 billion and the net cash flow from operating activities was US$4.8 billion.

4.   Hsbc Holdings (LON:HSBA)

Hsbc Holdings plc is a global finance company, with its base camp in the UK. It provides a wide range of financial products and services across Europe, America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. As per 2020 data, it is the second largest bank in Europe with its total assets estimated at around US$2.984 billion The wealth balances of the company went up by 12% from 2019 to $1.6tn in 2020.

5. Diageo PLC (LON:DGE)

Diageo PLC is a UK-based global beverage company. It operates across Europe, Americas, Russia, Turkey, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. It is the largest producer of Scotch Whiskey in the world. It is one of the largest distributors of spirits and the leading distillers globally. Apart from London Stock Exchange, it has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2020, the company recorded a profit of £1,454 million and its total assets stood at £33,308 million.

6. Rio Tinto PLC (LON: RIO)

Rio Tinto PLC is the second largest mining and metal company in the world. It is a multinational company based in UK with listings on the London Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange and ASX 200 index. With a revenue of US$44.6 billion in 2020, the company became the 114^th largest public company in the world, as per Forbes Global 2000.

7. GlaxoSmithKline Plc (LON: GSK)

Glaxosmithkline is a multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company based in the UK.  In addition to the London Stock Exchange, the company has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange. According to Forbes 2019 listing, the company was at the sixth position among the largest pharma companies in the world. In 2020, the company recorded a sale of £34 billion, which includes pharmaceutical, vaccine, and consumer healthcare products.

8. BP PLC (LON:BP)

BP PLC is a global oil and gas company based in the UK. It is counted among the top 7 oil and gas supermajors in the world. In addition to the London Stock Exchange, it is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Frankfurt Stock Exchange. With an operating revenue of US$180.4 billion, the company is the 357^th largest public company in the world.

9. British American Tobacco (LON:BATS)

British American Tobacco is a UK-based multinational company that is into manufacturing of tobacco and nicotine products. In addition to the London Stock Exchange, it is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. With a revenue of US$33.09 billion in 2020, it is among the largest tobacco companies across the globe considering its net sales.

10. BHP Group Plc (LON: BHP)

 BHP Group Plc is a leading global resources company that is involved in production and   extraction of oil, gas, and minerals. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Australian Securities Exchange. With a revenue of US$42.9 billion in 2020, the company is the 93^rd largest traded company globally as listed by the Forbes Global 2000.