Buy shares in British Empire Trust: Share prices, broker comparisons and key information

Use our guide to find the right broker for buying British Empire Trust shares today.

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.

Buy British Empire shares Learn more

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.

Compare these leading investment platforms

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.

Name Product UKFST Price per trade Frequent trader rate Brand description
eToro Free Stocks
Finder Award
eToro Free Stocks
£0 on stocks
N/A
Capital at risk. 0% commission but other fees may apply. The minimum deposit with eToro is $50.
IG Share Dealing
UK: £8
US: £10
EU: 0.1% (min €10)
UK: £3
US: £0
EU: 0.1% (min €10)
Get 0% commission on US shares when you make 3+ trades in the previous month.
IG is good for experienced traders, and offers learning resources for beginners, all with wide access to shares, ETFs and funds. Capital at risk.
Freetrade
£0
N/A
Get a free share worth up to £100 when you sign up and deposit at least £50. T&Cs apply. Capital at risk.
interactive investor Trading Account
£3.99 (free regular investing)
£0
Get £50 worth of free trades if you open an ii Trading Account before 31 October. T&Cs apply. New customers only. Capital at risk.
Interactive Investor offers everything most investors need. Its flat fees makes it pricey for small portfolios, but cheap for big ones. The minimum deposit with ii is £0. Capital at risk.
Saxo Share Dealing Account
£3
N/A
Get up to £200 back in online trading fees during your first 3 months. T&Cs apply.
Saxo offers a wide access to a range of stocks, ETFs and funds. Capital at risk.
InvestEngine
Finder Award
InvestEngine
£0
N/A
Get a Welcome Bonus of up to £50 when you invest at least £100 with InvestEngine. T&Cs apply.
CMC Invest share dealing account
£0
N/A
Hargreaves Lansdown Fund and Share Account
£11.95
£5.95
Hargreaves Lansdown is the UK's number one platform for private investors, with the depth of features you'd expect from an established platform. The minimum deposit with HL is £1. Capital at risk.
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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. 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.


British 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:20182017201720162015
£ (millions)£ (millions)£ (millions)£ (millions)£ (millions)
Revenue5.9417.393.4620.6920.93
Operating profit / (loss)4.1713.911.6817.6517.86
Net interest-0.56-1-0.5-0.81-0.38
Profit before tax3.612.911.1816.8417.49
Profit after tax from continuing operations3.4912.61.0918.7516.27

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.

EPICBTEM
ISINGB0001335081
Market cap£857.47 million
Shares in issue112.23 million
SectorEquity investment instruments
ExchangeLondon Stock Exchange
CurrencySterling pence
IndicesFTSE 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 date29 June 2018
Final dividend payment date05 January 2018
Final ex-dividend date07 December 2017
Final results13 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:20192018201720172016
Dividend payments
Final:10.00p9.70p
Interim:2.00p2.00p2.00p
Total dividend for year:12.00p14.50p

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?

  • Great for investors looking to buy and hold shares
  • Some of the lowest fees in the market
  • Access to millions of shares in international markets
  • Easy to buy and manage shares online
  • Capital at risk, investments may fall

Frequently asked questions

Compare share dealing platforms

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 has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.

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