Coming up to the halfway mark of 2021, it is worth reflecting on what ASX shares have been the biggest moneymakers of the year so far. Some of these companies you might know, some you might not. But if you invested at the start of the year, the minimum return would now be six-fold.
While past performance is not an indicator of future performance, there are always valuable lessons to be learnt. As the saying goes, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes."
So, without further ado, here are the 5 best performing ASX shares of the year as of today.
Top 5 ASX shares countdown
Renascor Resources Ltd (ASX: RNU)
While all the top 5 best performers are small-cap shares, Renascor Resources is the smallest with a market capitalisation of $152 million. The company operates as a vertically integrated battery anode manufacturer.
It had been a quiet couple of years for Renascor prior to 2021. The South Australian graphite miner's share price had been bouncing between 1 to 2 cents per share. However, with electric vehicles (EVs) booming in popularity, analysts are expecting demand to outstrip supply.
Currently, graphite represents a large portion of the material constituents in lithium-ion batteries. Renascor touts the largest graphite reserve outside of Africa. Which is possibly a contributing factor to the Renascor Resources share price surging 567% year-to-date (YTD).
Sayona Mining Ltd (ASX: SYA)
Sayona Mining is another ASX small-cap share riding the EV wave. Valued at $329 million, this emerging lithium producer is the biggest on our list by market cap.
The initial jump in the company's share price followed a partnership with US-based lithium corporation, Piedmont Lithium Inc (ASX: PLL). That partnership involved Piedmont investing US$12 million into Sayona to become a strategic investor and offtake partner.
President and CEO of Piedmont at the time said, "Piedmont is building a world-class spodumene-to-hydroxide business in North Carolina, and we are now very pleased to be partnering with Sayona to advance a similar business in Quebec."
The Sayona Mining share price has returned 622% since the start of 2021.
Actinogen Medical Ltd (ASX: ACW)
This Aussie biotechnology company has been busy in 2021. Actinogen has a large addressable market, developing drugs for Alzheimer's disease and the cognitive decline associated with other neurological and metabolic diseases.
A major milestone occurred on 5 February 2021, when the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Actinogen's Xanamem drug a Rare Paediatric Disease Designation for the treatment of Fragile X syndrome. Momentum in this ASX share continued as it progressed its clinical development program and appointed a new CEO.
These steps forward have come been greeted with plenty of share price positivity. The Actinogen share price has rewarded shareholders with a 638% return YTD.
Oneview Healthcare PLC (ASX: ONE)
Oneview Healthcare is a cloud-based software provider that offers solutions used in the healthcare sector. These solutions help healthcare workers deliver better and more tailored bedside care. Oneview is our first official 10 bagger on the list. That's right, a 10X return since the start of the year.
This ASX share started the year with a distribution agreement with Samsung SDS America, which is "the enterprise IT solutions provider of Samsung". The deal sent the Oneview share price flying 140% higher in a single day. Since then, the company has entered an investor awareness agreement with S3 Consortium and made a global launch of its CXP Cloud Enterprise software using Microsoft Azure.
Partnering with such iconic brands has undoubtedly drawn investors' attention. And if that hasn't, the 900% share price appreciation YTD should turn a few heads.
Province Resources Ltd (ASX: PRL)
Last, but certainly not least… the best performing ASX share so far this year is Province Resources. This small-cap company is riding another prominent trend of 2021 – hydrogen. Stemming from mineral exploration, Province Resources pivoted towards the booming green hydrogen market early in the year with the acquisition of Ozexco Pty Ltd.
From there, the company entered a memorandum of understanding with global renewable energy leader Total Eren to develop a potential 8-gigawatt green hydrogen project in Australia. By combining wind/solar power and electrolysis, Province Resources hopes to create a green hydrogen production facility in Carnarvon, Western Australia.
The bold, green ambitions have certainly captured the eyes of the market. Province, being the best performing ASX share, has delivered a return of 1,054% in 2021 so far.
