How to buy Associated British Foods shares

Associated British Foods PLC (ABF) is a publicly traded packaged foods business based in the UK which employs around 133,000 staff. Associated British Foods is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and traded in sterling. Its current price of 2474p is 6.3% down on its price a month ago (2641p).

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Fees calculator for buying Associated British Foods shares with popular apps

Both exchange rates and share prices fluctuate in real time, so the costs estimated here should be considered as a guide only. They don't factor in spreads, which can be hard to pin down. Always refer to the platform itself for availability and pricing.

Quantity of shares

Platform	Finder Score	Account fee	Min. initial deposit	Trade cost	Link
	4.3 ★★★★★	£0	$100	£2,523.67	Go to siteCapital at risk
	4.3 ★★★★★	0.12% per year	£0	£2,494.37	Go to siteCapital at risk
	4.4 ★★★★★	£0	£0	£2,486.37	Go to siteCapital at risk
	4.4 ★★★★★	£0	£0	£2,486.37	Go to siteCapital at risk
	4.2 ★★★★★	£0	£1	£2,498.32	Go to siteCapital at risk
	4.4 ★★★★★	0% - 0.25%	£100	£2,486.37	Go to siteCapital at risk
	4.1 ★★★★★	£0	£0	N/A	Read reviewCapital at risk

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Alternative ways to invest in Associated British Foods

• Via a fund
• Via a FTSE 100 ETF

Buying shares in just one company is generally considered a riskier bet than investing in a range of investments - AKA a "diversified portfolio". Experts generally recommend holding a mix of investments in specific assets and funds. Funds are ready-made portfolios of multiple companies' shares (potentially including Associated British Foods), and the idea is that drops in the value of one constituent company's share price might be offset by rises in others.

Associated British Foods is a major part of the London stock exchange, so it's included in many global funds and investment trusts, as well as tracker-style exchange traded funds (ETFs).

Fund	Icon	5-year performance (to May 2024)	1-year performance (to May 2024)	Link to invest
Xtrackers FTSE 100 (XDUK)		36.5540%	12.89%	Invest with HLCapital at risk
HSBC FTSE 100 (HUKX)		36.43%	12.51%	Invest with XTBCapital at risk
iShares Core FTSE 100 (CUKX)		36.30%	12.61%	Invest with eToroCapital at risk
Vanguard FTSE 100 (VUKE)		36.28%	12.50%	Invest with XTBCapital at risk
iShares Core FTSE 100 (Dist)(ISF)		36.27%	12.47%	Invest with XTBCapital at risk
Invesco FTSE 100 (S100)		35.31%	12.39%	Invest with HLCapital at risk
Amundi FTSE 100 (100D)		35.30%	12.39%	Invest with HLCapital at risk

Is it a good time to buy Associated British Foods stock?

Review technicals and fundamentals to help you determine if now's a good time for you to invest.

Technical analysis

View Associated British Foods's price performance, share price volatility, historical data and technicals.

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Invest in Associated British Foods shares

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Is Associated British Foods under- or over-valued?

Valuing a stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge value. Check out the Associated British Foods P/E ratio, PEG ratio and EBITDA.

• P/E ratio
• Associated British Foods PEG ratio
• Associated British Foods EBITDA

Frequently asked questions

• Does Associated British Foods pay dividends?

  • Dividend yield
  • Forward yield
  • Payout ratio

  Dividend yield: 2.18% of stock value

  Forward annual dividend yield: 2.18% of stock value

  Dividend payout ratio: 30.6% of net profits

  Associated British Foods has recently paid out dividends equivalent to 2.18% of its share value annually.

  Associated British Foods has paid out, on average, around 30.6% of recent net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 2.18% 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 2.18% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In Associated British Foods's case, that would currently equate to about 53.8 per share.

  While Associated British Foods's payout ratio might seem fairly standard, it's worth remembering that it 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 29 May 2024 (the "ex-dividend date").

  Associated British Foods's dividend yield is perhaps best considered in relation to those of similar companies.

  • J Sainsbury (SBRY.LSE): 4.99% (4.99% forward annual dividend yield)
  • Tesco (TSCO.LSE): 3.92% (3.92% forward annual dividend yield)
  • Premier Foods (PFD.LSE): 1.03% (1.03% forward annual dividend yield)
  • Hilton Food Group (HFG.LSE): 3.56% (3.56% forward annual dividend yield)

• What percentage of Associated British Foods is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 57.591% of Associated British Foods shares are held by insiders and 18.953% by institutions.

• When does the fiscal year end for Associated British Foods?

  Associated British Foods's fiscal year ends in August.

• Where is Associated British Foods based?

  Associated British Foods's address is: Weston Centre, London, United Kingdom, W1K 4QY

• Have Associated British Foods's shares ever split?

  Associated British Foods's shares were split on a 88:100 basis on 9 May 1999. So if you had owned 100 shares the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 88 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your Associated British Foods shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 13.6% higher share price could have impacted the market appetite for Associated British Foods shares which in turn could have impacted Associated British Foods's share price.

• How to sell Associated British Foods shares

  It's as easy to sell Associated British Foods as it is to buy! Here's how to sell Associated British Foods shares that you already own.

  1. Open your investment app. If you've got one with desktop access, you can log in online
  2. Go to your portfolio. This should be in the main menu
  3. Find your shares. You may be able to search your portfolio
  4. Choose how many you'd like to sell. You'll be able to review the price and see how much you'll receive
  5. Sell your Associated British Foods shares. Your investment platform will let you know when your shares are sold

• Can you buy Associated British Foods shares with a debit card?

  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.

• What's the easiest way to buy Associated British Foods shares?

  The easiest way to get hold of some Associated British Foods 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 Associated British Foods shares.

• Do you need to complete a W8-BEN form if you want to invest in Associated British Foods

  If you're investing in a US stock, you'll need to complete a W8-BEN form to minimise your tax liability. Whether these are automatically handled for you depends on your broker, so it would be a good idea to check with them directly.

• What is the key financial information for Associated British Foods?

  Associated British Foods financials

  Revenue TTM	£19.9 billion
  Operating margin TTM	9.04%
  Gross profit TTM	£3.8 billion
  Return on assets TTM	5.51%
  Return on equity TTM	10.69%
  Profit margin	5.92%
  Book value	14.62p
  Market capitalisation more info button	£18.5 billion

  TTM: trailing 12 months