Five stocks zoomed 100% in the past year. Do you own them?

At a time when the eurozone is teetering on the edge of recession and America haltingly limps it way to a full-fledged economic recovery, India still offers some bright spots, especially in the stock markets, where growth continues to surge.Firstpost compiled a list of stocks from the BSE 500 that yielded more than 100 percent returns over the past one year.

Investors owning these stocks have much to rejoice about.

•Gujarat Fluorochemicals Ltd: Part of the Inox group of companies and one of the largest manufacturer of refrigerant gases, it bagged the number one spot on the list as its stock price zoomed ahead by almost 200 percent in the past one year. One reason could be its upbeat financial performance - both net sales and profits have improved in the past few quarters. In fact, in the September-ending quarter, sales rose by a phenomenal 204 percent, while net profits rose at an even faster 280 percent.

The company was also one of first few to take advantage of the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) , a scheme in which companies are awarded carbon credits if they invest in technologies to reduce their pollution levels. It currently has a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 11.2 and a market capitalisation of Rs 5,828 crore. The biggest beneficiary of this jump in share prices is the promoter, who holds 70 percent of the total shareholding at the end of September.

•**Amtek India:**The stock came second on the list after its price shot up by almost 130 percent to Rs 144.95 generating almost Rs1,109 crore of wealth for its share holders. In the past year, the company was in the news over its supposed merger with Amtek Auto, its parent company, whose stake in Amtek increased to 60.66 percent at the end of June from 26.25 percent a year ago.

•Bata India: This footwear company certainly knows how to make its mark. Its pan-India presence (1,200 retail stores) has paid off handsomely as it currently sells almost 45 million pairs of footwear every year. That was also reflected in the company’s profits, which have shown a steady uptrend over the past three years. The growth momentum continued in the September-ending quarter: sales and net profits rose by 26.8 percent and 46.8 percent, respectively, due to retail expansion and strong same-store sales growth.

Religare Research is bullish on the company and expects sales to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 20 percent between 2010 and 2013. Currently, it is trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.6 and has a market capitalisation of Rs 4,680 crore. The promoter holds 52 percent of the total shares.

•**VST Industries:**Thestock zoomed by 108 percent in the past one year after it reported a sharp increase in quarterly earnings. While sales rose by a meager 6 percent in the September-ending quarter, net profit rose by almost 40 percent. The company is engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes, as well as non-manufactured tobacco. It had a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 16.45 and a market capitalisation of Rs 1,987 crore on 2 November. Promoter holding stood at 32.16 percent at the end of September.

•Hexaware Technologies: This mid-tier IT company has seen phenomenal growth in the nine months ended September. While sales rose by 34.9 percent, profits shot up by a whopping 163 percent. In 2012, the company remains optimistic about revenue growth owing to large deals won by the company in the past few quarters and a healthy deal pipeline. It was also one of those stocks in which foreign investors have increased their stakes in the past four quarters .

Emkay Securities retains an ‘accumulate’ rating with a price target of Rs 100 per share. As on 2 November, it was trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.76, while its market capitalisation was Rs 2,561 crore. While its promoter holding stands at 28.18 percent, General Atlantic holds another 14.9 percent.