UK shares are better known for paying generous dividends. But tucked away on the London Stock Exchange, even with the UK market near record highs, there are still stocks with the explosive potential to more than double in the next 12 months.
Here are two that analysts believe could do exactly that.
A biotech sitting on $277m in cash
PureTech Health’s (LSE:PRTC) a hub-and-spoke biotherapeutics company with a deceptively simple model: identify breakthrough biotech businesses, advance them to key clinical inflexion points, then scale each programme through externally funded subsidiary entities.
Today, the average consensus share price target among analysts sits at 399.03p. Considering the stock’s currently trading near 133p, it seems the pros are expecting an enormous near-200% gain over the next 12 months! But is that realistic?
The bull case starts with the balance sheet. PureTech entered 2026 with $277.1m in cash and equivalents, providing a funded runway at least through 2028. And its pipeline is where the real optionality lies.
PureTech’s lead programme, Deupirfenidone, is Phase 3-ready with its financing substantially complete and the pivotal clinical trial expected to commence in the second half of 2026.
Meanwhile, its Gallop Oncology business has reported positive Phase 1b data in relapsed/refractory myeloid malignancies, and its Seaport Therapeutics enterprise has filed for an IPO on the Nasdaq exchange.
In plain English, multiple biotech companies within PureTech’s portfolio are hitting critical milestones that could unlock phenomenal growth in a short space of time.
Having said that, it’s essential not to understate the level of risk attached to PureTech. Clinical trials are often binary. And, in turn, so are the share price returns.
The 200% growth forecast is dependent on PureTech’s trials being a success with no unexpected hiccups. But if something goes wrong, the share price could just as easily plummet as investor sentiment turns sour.
First production revenues
Another UK share that promises to be even more explosive is Helium One Global (LSE:HE1) – a primary helium explorer operating in Tanzania and Colorado, USA.
This time the share price target sits at 2.98p. Compared to where the stock’s trading today, that implies a jaw-dropping 460% potential gain!
But just like with PureTech, there’s a big asterisk applied to this projection.
The company’s inching closer towards commercial production for its flagship Southern Rukwa project in Tanzania, which is one of the largest suspected helium deposits on the planet.
And with demand for the gas surging on the back of rampant semiconductor manufacturing and defence spending, Helium One could indeed deliver such game-changing returns.
The problem is that Rukwa is still several years away. And while its Galactica-Pegasus project in Colorado has produced its first gas, the company is still dependent on external financing to keep moving forward.
Simply put, if helium prices suddenly drop or Rukwa fails to live up to expectations, Helium One’s share price could collapse. It is a penny stock after all.
Are they worth buying?
Both of these UK shares carry extremely high-risk/high-reward profiles — the kind that can make or break a portfolio in the space of a single catalyst.
Personally, the risk’s too high for my own portfolio. But for investors with the stomach for extreme volatility, both may be worth a closer look.
Should you invest £5,000 in Helium One Global right now?
When investing expert Mark Rogers and his team have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Twelfth Magpie Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets.
And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Helium One Global made the list?
Zaven Boyrazian does not hold any positions in the companies mentioned.
