Image Source: Getty Images
Investing in thick long-term pensions is a great way to ensure a higher standard of living during retirement. However, there is no denying that the stock market could be a volatile place. And not all investments will work and may leave less money than the investors have started.
Choosing the right stocks is a constant challenge during your investment journey. And to avoid making mistakes, many rely on professional analysts and their predictions.
Currently, experts seem to have five UK stocks in the crosshairs as some of the best deals FTSE 100. Not only do these companies have size advantages on the side, but if the forecast is correct, snapping these stocks will help them grow their pension pot by 21.7% over the next 12 months.
Investigating forecasts
The 5 FTSE 100 shares in question are JD Sports Fashion, Flutter Entertainment, Unilever, shelland AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN). This is a rather diverse basket of companies covering multiple sectors such as fashion, consumer goods, games, energy, and medicine.
Currently, each share has multiple purchases or outperform ratings from institutional investors. And looking at stock price forecasts for the next 12 months, investing the same amount in each business could result in a 21.7% return by next year, but not including additional profits from dividends.
It’s definitely an attractive outlook considering that the FTSE 100 historically generated only a total annual gain of around 8%. However, it is important to remember that predictions are inaccurate and not set to stones. So, even with attractive outlooks, investors still need to spend time performing careful due diligence.
To demonstrate, let’s take a closer look at Astrazeneca, the biggest expected winner from this collection.
New Leaders in Cancer Treatment
While Astrazeneca’s drug pipeline tackles a wide range of diseases, the group’s main focus is straight in oncology. At the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Conference, the company presents the results of three important ongoing research, each offering promising results.
This has continued its group’s pharmaceutical development streak in recent years, which will help skip revenue and profits. And with just 16 positive price-to-earning ratios, analysts seem to think the stock is undervalued compared to its likelihood.
However, even pharmaceutical giants like AstraZeneca do not have any risk. We are currently investigating alleged insurance fraud and illegal drug imports by Chinese authorities. At the same time, several old blockbusters are approaching the expiration date of key patents where cash flow could be destroyed if new products are unable to fill the gap.
Whether these risks are worthy of potential rewards depends on the risk tolerance of the individual investor. In my opinion, the company certainly seems worthy of a closer look, given the latest tips for Astrazeneca to go against expectations.
For other businesses on this list, discovering what the potential threat is and what the potential returns is most important to avoid mistakes in investing in growing pension pots.