How to buy SSE shares

SSE plc (SSE) is a leading utilities-diversified business with stocks listed in the UK. It opened the day at £N/App after a previous close of £N/App. During the day the price has varied from a low of N/Ap to a high of N/Ap. SSE is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). All prices are listed in pence sterling.

How to buy shares in SSE

1. Compare share trading platforms. To buy shares in a company that's listed outside of Australia, you'll need to find a trading platform that offers access to global stock markets. If you're just starting out, look for a platform with low brokerage and foreign exchange fees.
2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, like your ID and tax file number. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
3. Search for SSE. Find the share by name or ticker symbol: SSE. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment against your financial goals.
4. Purchase now or later. Buy today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until SSE reaches your desired price. To spread out your risk, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying at consistent intervals and amounts.
5. Decide on how many to buy. Weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimise risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy a fractional share of SSE, depending on your broker.
6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of SSE. Optimise your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the business — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights on directors and management that can affect your stock.

🧪How we chose these brokers

For our Top Picks, we compared our Finder partners using a proprietary algorithm in August 2020. Keep in mind that our top picks may not always be the best for you, and you're encouraged to compare for yourself to find one that works for you. Read our full methodology here to find out more.

SSE share price

Use our graph to track the performance of SSE stocks over time.

SSE shares at a glance

• Live prices
• Key figures

Information last updated 2021-03-05.

Open	N/Ap
High	N/Ap
Low	N/Ap
Close	N/Ap
Previous close	N/Ap
Change	N/Ap
Change %	N/A%
Volume	0

Information last updated 2021-03-02.

52-week range	1000.2897p - 1596.4035p
50-day moving average	1468.9305p
200-day moving average	1373.3169p
Target price	1324p
PE ratio	14.9383
Dividend yield	0.804p (0.06%)
Earnings per share (TTM)	89.2p

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The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no indication of future results.

Is it a good time to buy SSE stock?

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.

Technical Analysis of SSE plc by TradingView

Is SSE under- or over-valued?

Valuing SSE stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of SSE's overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge the value of a stock.

SSE's P/E ratio

SSE's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 15x. In other words, SSE shares trade at around 15x 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.

SSE's PEG ratio

SSE's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 3.5001. 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 SSE's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

SSE's EBITDA

SSE's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) is £1.7 billion.

The EBITDA is a measure of a SSE's overall financial performance and is widely used to measure a its profitability.

SSE financials

Revenue TTM	£6.6 billion
Operating margin TTM	23.06%
Gross profit TTM	£2 billion
Return on assets TTM	4.58%
Return on equity TTM	22.1%
Profit margin	14.82%
Book value	4.997p
Market capitalisation	£13.9 billion

TTM: trailing 12 months

SSE'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 SSE.

When it comes to ESG scores, lower is better, and lower scores are generally associated with lower risk for would-be investors.

SSE's total ESG risk score

Total ESG risk: 34.8

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and SSE's overall score of 34.8 (as at 01/01/2019) is pretty weak – landing it in it in the 72nd percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like SSE 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.).

SSE's environmental score

Environmental score: 20.8/100

SSE's environmental score of 20.8 puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that SSE is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

SSE's social score

Social score: 11.84/100

SSE's social score of 11.84 puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that SSE is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

SSE's governance score

Governance score: 9.16/100

SSE's governance score puts it squarely in the 6th percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that SSE is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

SSE's controversy score

Controversy score: 2/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. SSE scored a 2 out of 5 for controversy – the second-highest score possible, reflecting that SSE has, for the most part, managed to keep its nose clean.

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) summary

SSE plc was last rated for ESG on: 2019-01-01.

Total ESG score	34.8
Total ESG percentile	71.62
Environmental score	20.8
Environmental score percentile	6
Social score	11.84
Social score percentile	6
Governance score	9.16
Governance score percentile	6
Level of controversy	2

SSE share dividends

Dividend payout ratio: 7882.35% of net profits

Recently SSE has paid out, on average, around 7882.35% of net profits as dividends. That has enabled analysts to estimate a "forward annual dividend yield" of 6.07% of the current stock value. This means that over a year, based on recent payouts (which are sadly no guarantee of future payouts), SSE shareholders could enjoy a 6.07% return on their shares, in the form of dividend payments. In SSE's case, that would currently equate to about 0.804p per share.

SSE's payout ratio would broadly be considered high, and as such this stock could appeal to those looking to generate an income. Bear in mind however that companies should normally also look to re-invest a decent amount of net profits to ensure future growth.

The latest dividend was paid out to all shareholders who bought their shares by 14 January 2021 (the "ex-dividend date").

Have SSE's shares ever split?

SSE's shares were split on a 1000:1019 basis on 22 January 2014. So if you had owned 1019 shares the day before before the split, the next day you'd have owned 1000 shares. This wouldn't directly have changed the overall worth of your SSE shares – just the quantity. However, indirectly, the new 1.9% higher share price could have impacted the market appetite for SSE shares which in turn could have impacted SSE's share price.

SSE share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, SSE's shares have ranged in value from as little as £1000.2897 up to £1596.4035. 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 SSE's is 0.4628. This would suggest that SSE's shares are less volatile than average (for this exchange).

SSE overview

SSE plc engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and supply of electricity. The company operates through three segments: Wholesale, Networks, and Retail. It generates electricity from water, water, gas, coal, oil, and multi fuel. The company distributes electricity to approximately 3.8 million homes and businesses across the north of the central belt of Scotland and also central southern England; and owns and operates 132 kilovolts (KV), 275kV, and 400kV electricity transmission network using high voltage overhead lines, and underground and subsea cables. It also produces, stores, distributes, and supplies gas. In addition, it engages in electricity and utility contracting, telecommunications, energy trading, insurance, and property holding businesses, as well as provision of corporate and maintenance services. The company was formerly known as Scottish and Southern Energy plc and changed its name to SSE plc in September 2011. SSE plc was incorporated in 1989 and is based in Perth, the United Kingdom.

Frequently asked questions

• What percentage of SSE is owned by insiders or institutions?

  Currently 0.906% of SSE shares are held by insiders and 67.324% by institutions.

• When does the fiscal year end for SSE?

  SSE's fiscal year ends in March.

• Where is SSE based?

  SSE's address is: Inveralmond House, Perth, United Kingdom, PH1 3AQ

• What is SSE's ISIN number?

  SSE's international securities identification number is: GB0007908733