It's always healthy, even if a little envy-inducing, to look back at the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) and check out which ASX All Ords shares have notched up the biggest gains over the past year or two.
After all, although most of us probably don't own these stocks, it's important to see how the most successful companies are generating the market's top returns.
So today, let's examine four ASX All Ords shares that have delivered share price gains of between 302% and 693% since September 2023.
4 ASX All Ords shares that have delivered monster returns
First, let's go to an ASX All Ords share you might have heard of in DroneShield Ltd (ASX: DRO). Droneshield shares were asking just 30 cents each this time last year. But today, those same shares are going for $1.20 apiece. That means this company has enjoyed a 302% rise in the past 12 months.
It's not hard to see where this success has come from. Dronehsield has quickly amassed a reputation as a leader in counter-drone technology. Drones are quickly becoming an important aspect of modern warfare, and defence companies and governments alike are increasingly drawn to Droneshield as a result.
To illustrate, last month Droneshield reported a 105% rise in revenues to $23.2 million for the first half of its 2024 financial year. So it's not too surprising to see increasing interest in this ASX All Ords stock's shares.
ASX All Ords gold mining share Ora Banda Mining Ltd (ASX: OBM) is next up. The Ora Banda share price was at just 12 cents this time last year. But today, those shares are going for 60 cents each – a rise worth 396%.
There's usually one thing that gets a mining stock's share price going like that: striking gold (in this case literally) and getting it out of the ground. That is indeed what has been happening with Ora Banda.
Earlier this month, we covered the gold miner's update to investors, which flagged that the company was aiming to more than double gold production from its Davyhurtst project from just over 77,000 ounces to between 410,000 and 160,000 ounces. No wonder the market is excited.
500%-plus gains?
Our next ASX All Ords share worth a look at is Clarity Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: CU6). The Clarity share price has rocketed from $1.23 each a year ago to the $7.65 it is currently commanding. That's a rise worth a whopping 522%.
In this case, we have a pharmacological milestone to thank. Clarity has seen great excitement over the trials of its prostate cancer treatment '67Cu-SAR-bisPSMA'. As we covered back in April, a patient had a "complete response" to cycles of the treatment, and showed no detectable cancer at its conclusion. As a result, Clarity undertook a capital raising to fund expansion, and investors have been clamouring to be part of the action ever since.
Finally, let's check out an old ASX All Ords tech share that has had a love-hate relationship with investors for a while now. Buy now, pay later (BNPL) stock Zip Co Ltd (ASX: ZIP) has spent the past year coming out of the woodwork.
In September of 2023, you could have picked up shares of this ASX All Ords share for just 30 cents. But today, those shares will set you back $2.38 each. This means that Zip has banked a massive 693% rise over the past 12 months alone.
This has been helped by Zip regaining some mojo and delivering impressive numbers. Its 2024 financial year results showed the company increasing its revenues by 28.2%, which helped boost its gross cash profit by a huge 528% to $373 million.
After some whiplash against the COVID-induced spike in BNPL stocks, it appears investors are back on this wagon.
