There’s never been a better time to make a million on the stock market. Just ask the increasing numbers of British citizens who are joining the seven-figure club by maxing out their Stocks and Shares ISAs each and every year.
I recently praised the virtues of Diageo and JD Sports and explained why I think they could help investors become millionaires in the years ahead. But they’re not the only FTSE 100 shares that might make you a fortune. Take Hargreaves Lansdown (LSE: HL), for example.
Another possible millionaire maker
The blue-chip financial services giant has seen appetite for its stock sink more recently because of tougher market conditions and its involvement in the still-suspended Woodford Equity Income Fund. Despite this, Hargreaves’ share price remains up more than 65% from levels seen just three years ago, an increase which has underpinned total shareholder returns of 72.9% over that time.
Top trading
And I for one fully expect Hargreaves to make its shareholders a mint in the years ahead. Thanks to the paltry size of the State Pension and uncertainty over the levels of future payouts in the decades ahead, the onus on citizens to take charge of their post-retirement finances is higher than its ever been before.
Trading activity at providers of financial services like Hargreaves has soared in recent years as a result, and government data on ISA uptake provides a useful snapshot of this trend. Some 246,000 new stocks and shares-related products were opened in the 2017/2018 tax year, taking the total to 2.8m. And these ISAs witnessed record inflows of some £6.4bn to drive the total to an eye-popping £28.7bn.
Little wonder, then, that City analysts are expecting annual earnings to keep soaring at the likes of Hargreaves Lansdown then (another 15% rise is predicted for the year to June 2020 alone).
Safety first
I believe Halma’s (LSE: HLMA) another FTSE 100 share that could make stock investors a mighty million. Total returns here have ballooned 96.4% during the past three years, thanks largely to electric share price gains underpinned by some truly spectacular financials. Annual revenues and profits at Halma — a provider of hazard detection and life protection equipment for clients the world over — have hit record after record for 16 years on the bounce.
There’s no reason to expect this scintillating run to come to an end any time soon, given the broad array of supportive long-term trends (from increased urbanisation and population growth to soaring regulation), to the company’s obsessive commitment to acquisitions.
City analysts certainly expect the firm to keep delivering and another 10% bottom-line rise is predicted for the fiscal year ending March 2020. I certainly wouldn’t rule out Halma creating some truly titanic returns for its investors stretching much further into the future, either.