The FTSE100 it now exudes value. There are several stocks in the UK’s leading index that I believe could be great additions to the portfolios of investors who buy companies today with the intention of holding them for decades.

As tough as it was, I whittled it down to just two that I felt were flashy. Without further ado, let’s take a look at them.

Barclays

When browsing the fine-toothed Footsie, I looked for stocks with dirt-cheap valuations that I saw had real growth potential. Barclays (LSE: BARC) stood out as hell.

At 216.3p, I think it could be an absolute steal for a company of Barclays’ quality. That’s even after it skyrocketed 39.3% this year.

Its shares trade at just 8.4 times earnings, well below the Footsie average (11). Looking ahead, this number is expected to drop to five by 2026.

The company’s share price has fluctuated over the past five years, and I expect it will continue to do so in the coming years. Banks will come under pressure when interest rates fall because lower rates will reduce margins.

They have been the beneficiaries of the Bank of England’s aggressive interest rate increases over the past two years. I expect he and Barclays will have to navigate rougher waters in 2024 and beyond.

The company has been performing poorly recently and CS Venkatakrishnan’s CEO has announced changes to its operations. Last year it announced a cost-cutting mission. To boost efficiency, the business is further divided into five divisions.

Barclays has pledged to return £10 billion to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks over the next three years. This is higher than the current yield of 3.7%.

I think the company’s ambitious plans are positioned to continue its growth trajectory. As a shareholder, I am excited about what the future may hold for the bank.

Centric

Another standout candidate was Centric (LSE: MAYBE). It didn’t quite deliver the results that Barclays achieved this year. In 2024, its shares are down 0.9%. However, with growth of 17.4% over the last 12 months and 46.1% over the last five years, Centrica has outperformed Footsie in these time frames.

Trading at just 1.9 times earnings, Centrica shares are an incredible value. To be fair, this rate is expected to boost to 7.7 times in 2024 and 10.3 times in 2025. However, even this still looks like good value for money, in my opinion.

I suspect its valuation is very inexpensive because investors expect earnings to decline from recent highs. Over the past few years, the company has benefited greatly from rising energy prices. This will impact the company’s future profits, which involves risk. Another risk is the transition to renewable energy, which can be costly for the company.

However, I think there is a lot to like about the owner of British Gas. It has a huge customer base and a powerful brand that gives it an advantage over its competitors. Moreover, Centrica has a powerful balance sheet and plenty of cash.

The business uses this cash. Last year it bought back its own shares worth £623 million. This goes hand in hand with a yield of 2.9%.