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. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
Established in 1889, British Empire Trust is a British closed-end investment trust which is focused on investments in companies trading at a discount to estimated net asset value. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the FTSE 250 index. Since 1985, it has been managed by Asset Value Investors.
The rest of this guide will tell you in greater detail how you can buy shares in British Empire Trust. It will also provide you with live share prices, a comparison table of different investment platforms and a few things to consider before dealing with shares.
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British Empire Trust share price
Take a look at British Empire Trust’s share price performance over the last three months. Any prudent investor should observe the share price of a company in which they want to invest. Nevertheless, past performance is no indication of future results.
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The following share-dealing platforms offer access to a wide range of global (and UK) businesses. See which offers the most attractive rates for your needs, then simply head to the provider’s website and search for “British Empire Trust” shares.
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Read the full methodologyBritish Empire Trust’s financial results for recent years
Explore the table below to see how British Empire Trust has performed financially over recent years; figures are in pounds sterling.
| Income statement: | 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ (millions) | £ (millions) | £ (millions) | £ (millions) | £ (millions) | |
| Revenue | 5.94 | 17.39 | 3.46 | 20.69 | 20.93 |
| Operating profit / (loss) | 4.17 | 13.91 | 1.68 | 17.65 | 17.86 |
| Net interest | -0.56 | -1 | -0.5 | -0.81 | -0.38 |
| Profit before tax | 3.6 | 12.91 | 1.18 | 16.84 | 17.49 |
| Profit after tax from continuing operations | 3.49 | 12.6 | 1.09 | 18.75 | 16.27 |
Key share information
When buying or selling shares in a company, it’s important to keep an eye on a range of issues related to the company. We’ll walk you through some of the key aspects to consider when trading shares in British Empire.
General British Empire stock information
A quick overview of British Empire shares.
| EPIC | BTEM |
| ISIN | GB0001335081 |
| Market cap | £857.47 million |
| Shares in issue | 112.23 million |
| Sector | Equity investment instruments |
| Exchange | London Stock Exchange |
| Currency | Sterling pence |
| Indices | FTSE 250,FTSE 350,FTSE All Share |
Key dates
It’s a good idea to know when British Empire will be releasing the financial reports, this will let you know how the company is performing and will have a big impact on the share price.
| Past events | |
| Interim dividend payment date | 29 June 2018 |
| Final dividend payment date | 05 January 2018 |
| Final ex-dividend date | 07 December 2017 |
| Final results | 13 November 2017 |
British Empire dividend information
You’ll want to keep track of dividend information, and note down payment dates in your calendar.
| Year ending: | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend payments | |||||
| Final: | 10.00p | 9.70p | |||
| Interim: | 2.00p | 2.00p | 2.00p | ||
| Total dividend for year: | 12.00p | 14.50p |
Other important information to keep in mind
- General company news. It’s important to keep up to date on the company news – for example, is British Empire hiring or firing staff? Events such as these will have an impact on the share price of British Empire.
- Industry news. You should also be aware of other external events and news that may have an impact on British Empire’s share price – for instance, trends and changes for others in the sector.
A general investor’s checklist
Before investing in any company or sector, you need to know the basics. Here are some very simple questions to bear in mind before buying shares.
- What does the company do? This might sound silly with a company like British Empire, but can you explain what the company does in a few sentences? If you can’t, maybe you should go back to the drawing board.
- Is it making profits? This is a seemingly simple question. If you’re not sure whether a company is profitable, this could be a warning sign. British Empire keep investors up-to-date with any issues that might affect share price, from acquisition news to results of AGM votes.
- Who are the main competitors? Every company operates alongside competitors. Before you invest you need to know if the company is the market leader, a newcomer, a fast-growing disrupter, and so on. If the company you’re considering investing in is global-facing, you need to keep an eye on foreign competition, too.
- Who is running the company? You can’t compete with the knowledge of wealth management companies and big banks. You can still do your homework, though. Any decent company will list its senior managers. Even a cursory look at this can tell you something about the company’s stability and management style.
- Is the company’s position sustainable? If you’re investing for the long term, you need to consider this question. If you’re looking for a short-term gain, perhaps this is less important.
- Is there room for future growth? Linked to the question above, what is the outlook for the medium to long-term. Has your company reached its maximum size?
Frequently asked questions
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We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables is provided by Defaqto. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
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