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Investing in a chunky long-term pension can be a terrific way to ensure a higher standard of living during retirement. However, there’s no denying that the stock market can be a volatile place. And not every investment works out, potentially leaving investors with less money than what they started with.
Picking the right stocks is a constant challenge during an investment journey. And to avoid making mistakes, many rely on the opinions of professional analysts and their forecasts.
Right now, it seems the professionals have five UK shares in their crosshairs as some of the best deals in the FTSE 100. Not only do these businesses have the advantage of size on their side, but if the projections are correct, snapping up these stocks could help grow a pension pot by 21.7% over the next 12 months.
Investigating forecasts
The five FTSE 100 stocks in question are JD Sports Fashion, Flutter Entertainment, Unilever, Shell, and AstraZeneca (LSE:AZN). That’s a fairly diverse basket of companies covering multiple sectors including fashion, consumer goods, gaming, energy, and pharmaceuticals.
Right now, each stock has multiple Buy or Outperform ratings from institutional investors. And when looking at the share price forecasts for the next 12 months, investing equal amounts into each business could deliver a 21.7% return by this time next year, not including any extra gains from dividends.
Considering the FTSE 100 has historically only generated a total annualised gain of around 8%, that’s definitely an attractive prospect. However, it’s important to remember that forecasts are notoriously inaccurate and are not set in stone. Therefore, even with attractive prospects, investors still need to spend time executing some careful due diligence.
To demonstrate, let’s take a close look at the biggest anticipated winner from this collection – AstraZeneca.
A new leader in cancer treatment
While AstraZeneca’s drug pipeline tackles a wide range of diseases, the group’s main focus lies squarely on oncology. At the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology conference, the company showcased results from three of its critical ongoing studies, each delivering promising results.
This continues the group’s winning streak of pharmaceutical developments in recent years that’s helped send revenue and profits flying. And with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of just 16, it seems analysts believe the stock is undervalued compared to its potential.
However, even a pharma giant like AstraZeneca isn’t risk-free. The company’s currently under investigation by Chinese authorities regarding alleged insurance fraud and illegal drug imports. At the same time, several older blockbuster drugs are approaching the critical patent expiration date that could see cash flows disrupted if newer products aren’t able to fill the void.
Whether these risks are worth the potential reward depends on an individual investor’s risk tolerance. Given AstraZeneca’s recent knack for defying expectations, the company certainly seems to be worth a closer look, in my opinion.
As for the other businesses on this list, discovering what the potential threats are, as well as potential returns, is paramount for avoiding investing mistakes in growing a pension pot.
