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How to buy Aviva shares | 278.7p
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Aviva plc (AV) is a leading insurance—diversified business based in the UK. It opened the day at 277.3p after a previous close of 273.3p. During the day the price has varied from a low of 273.118p to a high of 281.6p. The latest price was 278.7p (25 minute delay). Aviva is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and employs 31,181 staff. All prices are listed in pence sterling.
How to buy shares in Aviva
- Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share-dealing table below can help you choose.
- Open your account. You'll need your ID, bank details and national insurance number.
- Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
- Search the platform for stock code: AV in this case.
- Research Aviva shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
- Buy your Aviva shares. It's that simple.
What's in this guide?
- Can I buy shares in Aviva?
- Has coronavirus impacted Aviva shares?
- Aviva shares summary
- Compare share dealing platforms
- Is Aviva stock a buy or sell?
- Aviva performance over time
- Is Aviva suitable for ethical investing?
- Are Aviva shares over-valued?
- Aviva's financials
- How volatile are Aviva shares?
- Does Aviva pay a dividend?
- Have Aviva shares ever split?
- Other common questions
How has Coronavirus impacted Aviva's share price?
Since the stock market crash in March caused by coronavirus, Aviva's share price has had significant negative movement.
Its last market close was 284.9p, which is 29.50% down on its pre-crash value of 404.1p and 38.50% up on the lowest point reached during the March crash when the shares fell as low as 205.7p.
If you had bought £1,000 worth of Aviva shares at the start of February 2020, those shares would have been worth £525.66 at the bottom of the March crash, and if you held on to them, then as of the last market close they'd be worth £709.77.
Aviva share price
Use our graph to track the performance of AV stocks over time.Aviva shares at a glance
Information last updated 2020-07-02.
| Open | 277.3p |
|---|---|
| High | 281.6p |
| Low | 273.118p |
| Close | 278.7p |
| Previous close | 273.3p |
| Change | 5.4p |
| Change % | 1.976% |
| Volume | 9,362,997 |
Information last updated 2020-08-02.
| 52-week range | 205.7p - 439.4p |
|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | 263.828p |
| 200-day moving average | 294.2498p |
| Wall St. target price | 551.33p |
| PE ratio | 4.2266 |
| Dividend yield | 0.31p (11.59%) |
| Earnings per share (TTM) | 63.1p |
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All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
Is it a good time to buy Aviva stock?
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Capital is at risk.
The technical analysis gauge below displays real-time ratings for the timeframes you select. This is not a recommendation, however. It represents a technical analysis based on the most popular technical indicators: Moving Averages, Oscillators and Pivots. Finder might not concur and takes no responsibility.
Aviva price performance over time
Historical closes compared with the last close of 278.7p
| 1 week (2020-08-03) | N/A |
|---|---|
| 1 month (2020-07-14) | -3.66% |
| 3 months (2020-05-14) | 20.34% |
| 6 months (2020-02-10) | N/A |
| 1 year (2019-08-10) | N/A |
|---|---|
| 2 years (2018-08-10) | N/A |
| 3 years (2017-08-10) | N/A |
| 5 years (2015-08-10) | N/A |
Is Aviva under- or over-valued?
Valuing Aviva stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of Aviva's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.
Aviva's P/E ratio
Aviva's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 4x. In other words, Aviva shares trade at around 4x recent earnings.
That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the FTSE 250 at the end of September 2019 (19.71). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.
However, Aviva's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the insurance—diversified industry or those of similar companies.
- Admiral Group (ADM.LSE): 16.24
- Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG.LSE): 10.15
- AA (AA.LSE): 1.80
Aviva's PEG ratio
Aviva's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 0.2714. A low ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer better value, while a higher ratio can be interpreted as meaning the shares offer worse value.
The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Aviva's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.
However, it's sensible to consider Aviva's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.
- Admiral Group (ADM.LSE): 1.15
Aviva's EBITDA
Aviva's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is £4.9 billion.
The EBITDA is a measure of a Aviva's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.
To put Aviva's EBITDA into context you can compare it against that of similar companies.
- Admiral Group (ADM.LSE): £553.5 million
- Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG.LSE): £617 million
- AA (AA.LSE): £267 million
- Saga (SAGA.LSE): £150.5 million
Aviva financials
| Revenue TTM | £46.4 billion |
|---|---|
| Operating margin TTM | 9.99% |
| Gross profit TTM | £13.9 billion |
| Return on assets TTM | 0.65% |
| Return on equity TTM | 14.34% |
| Profit margin | 5.49% |
| Book value | 4.467p |
| Market capitalisation | £10.4 billion |
TTM: trailing 12 months
Aviva's environmental, social and governance track record
Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Aviva.
When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.
Aviva's total ESG risk score
Total ESG risk: 26.83
Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Aviva's overall score of 26.83 (as at 07/01/2020) is pretty good – landing it in it in the 36th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.
ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Aviva is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).
To gain some more context, you can compare Aviva's total ESG risk score against those of similar companies.
- Admiral Group (ADM.LSE): 27.53
- Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG.LSE): 24.01
Aviva's environmental score
Environmental score: 4.45/100
Aviva's environmental score of 4.45 puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Aviva is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Aviva's social score
Social score: 14.07/100
Aviva's social score of 14.07 puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Aviva is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.
Aviva's governance score
Governance score: 13.31/100
Aviva's governance score puts it squarely in the 5th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Aviva is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.
Aviva's controversy score
Controversy score: 2/5
ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. Aviva scored a 2 out of 5 for controversy – the second-highest score possible, reflecting that Aviva has, for the most part, managed to keep its nose clean.
Wondering how that compares? Below are the controversy scores of similar companies.
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary
Aviva plc was last rated for ESG on: 2020-07-01.
| Total ESG score | 26.83 |
|---|---|
| Total ESG percentile | 36.42 |
| Environmental score | 4.45 |
| Environmental score percentile | 5 |
| Social score | 14.07 |
| Social score percentile | 5 |
| Governance score | 13.31 |
| Governance score percentile | 5 |
| Level of controversy | 2 |
Aviva share dividends
Dividend payout ratio: 47.94% of net profits
Recently Aviva has paid out, on average, around 47.94% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 11.59% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), Aviva shareholders could enjoy a 11.59% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Aviva's case, that would currently equate to about 0.31p per share.
While Aviva's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that Aviva may be investing much of the rest of its net profits in future growth.
The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 23 April 2020 (the "ex-dividend date").
Aviva's dividend payout ratio is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.
- Admiral Group (ADM.LSE): 61.76%
- Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG.LSE): 72.60%
- AA (AA.LSE): 14.60%
- Saga (SAGA.LSE): 0.00% (does not pay dividend)
Have Aviva's shares ever split?
Aviva's shares were split on a 12:11 basis on 25 March 2009. So if you had owned 11 shares the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 12 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Aviva shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 8.3% lower share price could have impacted the market appetite for Aviva shares which in turn could have impacted Aviva's share price.
Aviva share price volatility
Over the last 12 months, Aviva's shares have ranged in value from as little as 205.7p up to 439.4p. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".
Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (LSE average) beta is 1, while Aviva's is 1.1064. This would suggest that Aviva's shares are a little bit more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a slightly higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).
To put Aviva's beta into context you can compare it against those of similar companies.
- Admiral Group (ADM.LSE): 0.264
- Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG.LSE): 0.2924
- AA (AA.LSE): 1.8209
- Saga (SAGA.LSE): 1.2302
Aviva overview
Aviva plc provides various insurance and savings products primarily in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, North America, and South-East Asia. The company offers life insurance, long term health and accident insurance, savings, pension, and annuity products, as well as pension fund business and lifetime mortgage products. It also provides insurance cover to individuals, small and medium-sized businesses for risks associated primarily with motor vehicles and medical expenses, as well as property and liability, such as employers' and professional indemnity liabilities. In addition, the company offers personal and commercial lines insurance products; long-term insurance and savings products, primarily for individuals. Further, it provides investment management services for institutional pension fund mandates; and manages various retail investment products, including investment funds, unit trusts, open-ended investment companies, and individual savings accounts for third-party financial institutions, pension funds, public sector organizations, investment professionals, and private investors. Additionally, the company offers asset management, retirement, and protection insurance products. The company markets its products through a network of insurance brokers, as well as MyAviva platform. The company was formerly known as CGNU plc and changed its name to Aviva plc in July 2002. Aviva plc was founded in 1696 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
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