Helal Miah, investment research analyst at The Share Centre, said: “Banking giant Lloyds was the most purchased company in the last 12 months. The group has had a rollercoaster of a year starting off with results beating expectations citing a healthy economy, then over the summer the market reacted negatively to the group setting another £1bn aside for PPI charges and most recently it reported that its third quarter profits were up 150% year on year as it indicated that the recovery is ongoing as the numbers showed continued momentum across many measures. With the government selling off its remaining shares, the dividend being reinstated providing a steady source of income, it’s unsurprising to see the group in the top spot.”

Miah said that investors had chased shares in Aim-listed oil exploration company, UK Oil & Gas Investments, in the hope that returns from fracking operations might materialise. He added: “2017 has generally been an encouraging year for the oil sector, mainly because of the oil price recovery which saw levels reach their highest in two years. Expectedly this has resulted in improved investor sentiment and therefore it’s no surprise to see two giants of the sector BP and Royal Dutch Shell, also feature in the top ten list.”

GlaxoSmithKline scored highly for its perceived defensive nature and competitive dividend yield, which is in excess of 5%. In particular, people picked up the shares in October after a fall.

Miah said BT investors were initially cheered by a deal to legally separate its Openreach division but ongoing troubles at the telecoms giant had left them disappointed. “Investors have had little to be inspired by and it is likely to feature due to a hope of recovery. Indeed, there has been progress on a number of restructuring programmes to turn the business around and deliver cost savings and its consumer focused businesses such as EE helped offset sales figures to an extent.”

“National Grid and Vodafone continue to remain popular with investors at The Share Centre, probably because of the steady stream of income the companies offer and the recognition that the demand for its products remains high.

“It’s always interesting to analyse what investors have been buying in their portfolios and the fact that it’s been our busiest trading year in five years is reassuring because it indicates that investors have not been put off by the volatile and uncertain market conditions we’ve experienced in the last couple of years.”

The Share Centre’s top ten most bought shares in 2017

1. Lloyds Banking
2. UK Oil & Gas Investments
3. GlaxoSmithKline
4. BT
5. Sirius Minerals
6. BP
7. National Grid
8. Vodafone
9. Royal Dutch Shell B
10. Carillion