It’s been a fairly good 12 months for the FTSE 100, the UK’s main stock-market index. The Footsie has gained 6.8% since 27 April 2021, beating the US S&P 500‘s 12-month loss of 0.3%. Also, adding in cash dividends of around, say, 4% takes the FTSE 100’s return into double-digits. Not bad, given global concerns over Covid-19, Russia/Ukraine, inflation and interest rates, plus slowing growth in China.
The FTSE 100’s winners and losers
As you’d expect, returns from individual FTSE 100 shares over the past year are widely dispersed. Of 99 shares in the index for the past 12 months, 38 stocks have gained in value. Gains for these winners range from 2% to an impressive 89.1%. The average rise among these 38 gainers is 21.3%.
However, at the other end of this scale lie 61 losing shares that have declined in value since late April 2021. Declines among these losers range from just 0.2% to a brutal 56.7% loss. The average decline among these 61 FTSE 100 losers is 19%.
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Top of the FTSE 100 flops
Here are the five worst-performing FTSE 100 shares over the past 12 months (all returns in this article exclude dividends).
| Company | Sector | 12-month return |
| ITV | Broadcaster | -37.8% |
| AVEVA Group | Technology consulting | -41.4% |
| Hargreaves Lansdown | Financial services | -43.3% |
| Flutter Entertainment | Gambling & betting | -48.2% |
| Ocado Group | Online retailer | -56.7% |
As you can see, losses among these FTSE 100 flops range from almost 38% at broadcaster and producer ITV (LSE: ITV) to almost 57% at Ocado Group, the technology-driven online retailer. The average fall across all five flops is 45.5% — nearing a drop of half of one’s capital.
Looking at this morning’s market, I can see things have got even worse for shareholders in AVEVA Group. As I write, shares in the Cambridge-based tech company slumped another 14.4% this morning, following its latest trading update. Yikes.
I’d buy one of these Footsie failures today
As a veteran value investor who loves bottom-fishing for cheap shares, I often scour the FTSE 100 looking for ‘fallen angels’. These are otherwise healthy businesses whose share prices have taken a brutal beating, but have potential for recovery.
Of the five Footsie flops in the above table, I’m drawn to one beaten-down share in particular. This potential ‘dog turned star’ stock is ITV. As I write, the ITV share price stands at 73.76p, more than 60p below its 52-week high of 134.15p hit on 14 June 2021. This leaves the stock down 45% from its 2021 peak, valuing the broadcaster at under £3bn.
At this price, ITV shares trade on a modest price-to-earnings ratio of 7.9 and an earnings yield of nearly 12.7%. What’s more, the dividend yield of almost 4.5% a year is above the FTSE 100’s cash yield of around 4% a year.
Why have ITV shares crashed so hard? Analysts are concerned about bold plans to spend on growth to keep up with deep-pocketed media rivals. Then again, ITV has a strong balance sheet, with total liquidity of £1.5bn and only £414m of net debt at the end of 2021.
Despite the ongoing risks ITV faces (notably from streaming services), I’d happily buy this cheap FTSE 100 share for my family portfolio today!
