Marks & Spencer (or "Marks and Sparks", as the cool kids say) has undergone a major turnaround in recent years. The UK high street staple has successfully modernised its food and clothing divisions while expanding its online presence.
With a growing market share in groceries and a resurgence in fashion, it’s proving that a heritage retailer can still innovate and get investors excited. Buying Marks & Spencer (M&S) shares offers exposure to a well-loved British brand with improving profitability, but competition from discounters and changing consumer habits remain key risks.
How to buy shares in M&S
Open a brokerage account.Choose from our top broker picks or compare brokers in depth. Then, sign up on your chosen platform.
Fund your account.Add money to your account via bank transfer or debit card.
Search the platform by ticker symbol.MKS in this case.
Choose an order type.Place a market order (or limit order, if you want to try to hold out for a specific price) with your preferred number of shares or investment amount.
Submit the order.It's that simple.
The whole process can take as little as 15 minutes. You'll need a smartphone or computer, an internet connection, your passport or driving licence and a means of payment.
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Marks & Spencer listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2002. It was one of the original members of the FTSE 100 in 1984, but dropped out in September 2019. In August 2023 it returned again after an upturn in company fortunes.
Forward annual dividend yield: 1.04% of stock value
Dividend payout ratio: 3.8% of net profits
M&S has recently paid out dividends equivalent to 1.04% of its share value annually.
M&S has paid out, on average, around 3.8% of recent net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 1.04% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), shareholders could enjoy a 1.04% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In M&S's case, that would currently equate to about 3.8 per share.
While M&S's payout ratio might seem low, this can signify that the company is investing more in its future growth.
M&S's dividend yield is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.
It's as easy to sell M&S as it is to buy! Here's how to sell M&S shares that you already own.
Open your investment app. If you've got one with desktop access, you can log in online
Go to your portfolio. This should be in the main menu
Find your shares. You may be able to search your portfolio
Choose how many you'd like to sell. You'll be able to review the price and see how much you'll receive
Sell your M&S shares. Your investment platform will let you know when your shares are sold
Most dealing providers will let you use your debit card to top up your account and buy shares. The main ways are with a debit card, bank transfer or with Apple/Google Pay.
The easiest way to get hold of some M&S shares is to sign up for a share trading app and place a market order or basic order. This type of order tells the platform that you're interested, so it'll try to execute it as quickly as it can. It could take some time for the order to go through, especially if there's a lot of volatility in M&S shares.
George is a deputy editor at Finder. He has previously written for The Motley Fool UK, Nasdaq, Freetrade, Investing in the Web, MoneyMagpie, Online Mortgage Advisor, Wealth, and Compare Forex Brokers.
He's focused on making personal finance and investing engaging for everyone. To do this he draws from previous work and his Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA), sharing what he’s learnt. When he’s not geeking out about money, you’ll find him playing sports and staying active.
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