The FTSE 100 index of stocks has already crashed the 10,000-point barrier in January. With demand for cheap, dividend-paying shares continuing to heat up, 2026 could well be another spectacular year for UK blue-chip shares.
While the Footsie has risen more than 20% over the past 12 months, there’s a wide selection of top-quality shares still going at rock-bottom prices. Fresnillo (LSE:FRES), Admiral Group (LSE:ADM), and Allianz Technology Trust (LSE:ATT) are just a few that have attracted my attention in recent weeks.
I think they could deliver spectacular price gains as investors wise up to their excellent value and pile in. Want to know why?
400%+ price rise!
Fresnillo is one of the world’s biggest silver producers and a significant gold miner, too. It’ll come as no surprise then when I say it’s share price gains have been colossal — over the last year, it’s gained 440% in value.
It’s true that gold and silver’s enormous price gains now leave them vulnerable to heavy profit taking. This in turn could prompt a sharp correction for precious metal stocks like Fresnillo.
However, I’m confident any pullback would likely prove temporary. Falling interest rates, rising geopolitical volatility, and a falling US dollar supercharged gold and silver in 2025. These factors remain very much in play at the start of the New Year.
Fresnillo shares trade on a price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of just 0.6 for 2026. This represents exceptional value.
Dividend hero
Admiral’s shares look dirt cheap in my view based on expected earnings and dividends.
At 12.6 times, the insurer’s forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is well below the 10-year average of 17 times. Its 2026 dividend yield, meanwhile, is fractionally above long-term norms but still an excellent 6.3%.
Admiral’s share price rose 15% in 2025, but it still underperformed the broader FTSE 100. This reflected investor worries over pricing pressure and its impact on underwriting margins. It’s a valid concern, but not one I think merits the sort of valuation we are seeing.
What’s more, Admiral’s enormous brand power and strong reinsurer relationships provides meaningful protection against this threat. With its European operations improving, too, I think the company could pick up momentum in 2026.
Giant returns
Allianz Technology Trust has rocketed 23% in value over the last year. But at 533p, it still trades at a near-10% discount to its net asset value (NAV) per share.
This makes it a steal as — despite the threat of a possible AI bubble — it still has enormous growth potential as global digitalisation rolls on. Since early 2016, the trust’s delivered an average annual return of 20%.
Allianz’s technology fund owns all the tech sector’s big hitters like Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft, three companies which last year became the world’s first three $4trn companies. With 52 different holdings, the trust brilliantly reduces the danger of one company falling behind in this fast-moving sector, and its subsequent impact on investor returns.
It also provides exposure to a multitude of white-hot growth trends like AI, cybersecurity, robotics, and quantum computing. I think it could be one of the FTSE 100’s star performers again in 2026.
