How to buy Wetherspoon shares (JDW)

By:

James Knight

James is the Editor of Education for Invezz, where he covers topics from across the financial world, from the stock market, to cryptocurrency, to macroeconomic markets.... read more.

Updated: Jul 6, 2023

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This page is a beginner’s guide to investing in Wetherspoon shares. It gives you a brief history of the company and its recent performance, then looks at what you can expect to see in the future.

Compare the best Wetherspoon trading platforms

If all you want to know is where to buy Wetherspoon shares now, the brokers below are the best platforms to use. We have reviewed all of the leading options to help you find a broker that suits your investing style. Otherwise, just keep reading to learn more about Wetherspoon.

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How to buy Wetherspoons stock, a step-by-step guide

This process isn’t complicated, so don’t worry even if you’re new to stock investing. These are the steps to follow in order to complete your investment:

1. Choose a broker. To invest, you will need to use an online brokerage platform. There are many different options to choose from, each with its own unique benefits and drawbacks. The comparison table above can help you select the right broker for you, and you can head to our comprehensive broker reviews if you’re still unsure.
2. Create an account. Once you’ve selected your broker, simply go to their website and create an account. The steps required for this will vary from platform to platform, but generally, you can expect to have to provide your name, email address, phone number, and some form of photo identification.
3. Deposit funds. Log into your broker account and select the option to deposit funds. Depending on your broker you’ll have a variety of payment options available; most brokers accept bank transfers and debit card payments, but not all accept e-wallets such as PayPal. Select your preferred payment method and deposit the amount of money you wish to invest in Wetherspoon shares.
4. Place an order for JDW stock. Now navigate to the stocks section of your chosen platform. Here, you’ll be able to search for Wetherspoon’s ticker symbol (JDW) and see the current price at which the stock is trading. If you’re happy with the price, enter the number of shares you wish to purchase and place your order.
5. Execute your order. Once you have placed your order, your broker will automatically execute it for you and your Wetherspoon shares will be listed in your account. Congratulations, you’ve just bought shares in Wetherspoon.

What is Wetherspoon? And should I invest?

JD Wetherspoon is a pub company that operates in Britain and Ireland. Founded by the outspoken Tim Martin in 1979, who still runs the show today, it’s been a publicly traded company since 1992.

The Wetherspoon chain attracts customers with cheap prices, accepting tight profit margins in exchange for a high volume of traffic. It’s a business model that has served it well, so it now runs about 1000 pubs and has even branched out in hotels as well.

You might want to invest because it’s a successful business that consistently increased revenues year after year prior to the pandemic. Because of its cheaper prices, it’s able to still attract customers even in difficult economic environments and all of its chains tend to be in high-volume areas – like cities and airports.

How has the company performed in recent years?

The years before COVID-19 saw steady growth in Wetherspoon’s share price. It did particularly well in the decade after the 2009 recession, as it was able to buy up failing establishments and grow its market share to become one of the leading chains in the UK.

That strategy helped the company double in value between 2016 and 2020. Despite a regular dose of negative publicity thanks to its founder, who often wades into debates over things like the minimum wage and Brexit referendum, and argues with his own shareholders about how he runs the business.

The pandemic, however, threw a spanner in the works. The company posted its first annual loss since 1984 and took on hundreds of millions in debt to keep the lights on. The total figure stood at over £1bn by the time lockdowns began to ease.

Is it a good time to buy Wetherspoon shares now?

If it bounces back from the coronavirus lockdowns in the same way it did from the financial crisis a decade ago, then it might be a good time to invest. But the two situations aren’t exactly the same, not least because Wetherspoon has had to take on so much more debt this time around.

It has also been able to raise money from investors too, however, and it might be able to again buy up independent pubs that didn’t have the funding to keep going for a year without revenue. A year like 2020 is unlikely to repeat itself, so revenue growth should return in some form fairly quickly.

Wetherspoon is an interesting company in terms of news, because Martin even uses its annual financial reports to wax lyrical about his political views. That can drown out the actual numbers you should be interested in as an investor. Our market analysis helps you cut through the noise and access the figures that matter:

Buying, selling and trading shares for beginners

What to do before buying shares

You should always take the time to research a stock fully before investing your money, especially if you haven’t bought shares before. The more knowledge you have, the better your chances of making a wise investment. 

With that in mind, here’s a checklist to run through before investing in Wetherspoon shares.

1. Research the company. You should always examine the fundamentals of a company before buying its stock. What is Wetherspoon? How did the company get its start? How did it grow? Is Wetherspoon’s revenue and profit growth picking up? Is the company innovating? The more you know about Wetherspoon, the better positioned you’ll be to make smart investment decisions.
2. Make sure you understand the basics of stock investing. Before you get started, make sure you have an understanding of how the stock market works. This will ensure that you have more clearly defined goals and have thought through how you will achieve them.
3. Decide between share dealing and CFD trading. Choose the type of investment strategy you want to pursue, and make sure you have carried out the necessary fundamental or technical analysis for share dealing and CFD trading respectively.
4. Set the size of your budget. The golden rule of investing is never to risk more than you can afford to lose. Not every investment you make will result in a profit, so it is important to set a budget that not only allows good potential for capital growth, but also protects against overly damaging losses.
5. Find the right broker. Individual brokers each have their own pros and cons. Some will have low fees but have a user interface you struggle to understand, whereas others may be a bit more expensive but come with a range of features that you want to take advantage of. Our broker platform reviews can help you find the right one for you.
6. Examine broader market conditions. No stock exists in a vacuum, and it’s always important to analyse the general trends of the stock market as a whole before investing. If a bear market is setting in and stock prices are falling, it’s best to wait it out and invest your money later when the stock is cheaper. If, however, the market is looking bullish, you’ll want to make your investment quickly to get the maximum benefit from rising stock prices. Our news section can help you keep on top of movements in the financial markets.

What is the difference between buying, selling, and trading shares?

If you’re new to stock investing, then it’s important to understand the basics of how to buy, sell, and trade Wetherspoon shares. Here’s a quick run-through of what’s involved in each.

Buying Wetherspoon

This process involves finding a broker and placing an order to buy Wetherspoon stock, as outlined in the steps further up this page. Ideally, you want to time your investment when the stock’s price is low so that you can profit by selling the shares after they increase in value.

Selling Wetherspoon

When you sell any Wetherspoons shares you have bought, you’ll want to do so at a higher price than the one at which you bought to earn a profit. 

When you sell is up to you. You might decide to hold for a long period of time, hoping to benefit from the company growing steadily throughout. Or, if you see that Wetherspoon’s stock is already up a lot compared to the price you bought it and you’ve noticed that the stock market is starting to fall, it might make sense to sell and take your profits to invest elsewhere. Equally, if the stock has fallen since you bought it and looks set to fall further, it might be a good idea to cut your losses by selling your shares.

Trading Wetherspoon

Trading is the same process as buying and selling shares, it’s just done over shorter periods of time with the aim to make small profits on a regular basis. This means that you can make money faster and spend your profits in your day-to-day life – however, on the other side it means you can lose money faster as well. For inexperienced investors, we generally recommend making investments for at least 6 months to a year instead of making trades in quick succession.

You can trade Wetherspoon shares through buying and selling shares, or by trading with CFDs. These allow investors to speculate on stock prices and trade with leverage in pursuit of bigger gains. CFDs trading is explained further in the next section, but it is worth noting that beginners should avoid trading with leverage. It comes with large risks and is best left to experienced investors.

Share dealing vs CFD trading

When it comes to investing in any stock, the two options you have are share dealing and trading. Which one of these methods to opt for largely depends on your investment timeline, with investors thinking long term tending to go for share dealing, and those looking for short term gains pursuing a more aggressive trading strategy.

Here’s a quick summary of the two approaches, and the pros and cons of each.

Share dealing 

Share dealing refers to the practice of holding shares in a particular company over the long term. When investing like this, you’re seeking to profit either from dividend payments or an increase in the stock’s price over time.

When investing your money this way, it is important to do thorough fundamental analysis of the company in which you are investing. You want to put your money in a stock you believe will trend upwards over time, even if there is some market volatility along the way, rather than get distracted by shorter term peaks and troughs.

Pros

• Can build wealth over time to achieve financial goals
• Don’t need to be very reactive to short-term market movements
• Some stocks will give you an income through regular dividend payments

Cons

• Takes a long time to realise any profits
• Your capital is tied up in stocks and cannot be used for other investments

CFD Trading 

If your aim is to generate profits in the short term, then you might be better off trading shares than holding them in your portfolio. Stock trades like this are executed using CFDs (contracts for difference), which allow investors to trade against the value of a stock without having to take ownership of it. When CFD trading, investors are looking to trade stocks fast to profit from short-term fluctuations in value.

One aspect of CFD trading that many investors find attractive is that they allow you to trade with leverage. This means you can place large trades while only putting up a fraction of the value yourself – for instance, if a platform offered leverage of 1:10, you could put £10 into JDW shares and be able to trade £100 worth. This can maximise profits if the market moves in your favour, but be careful as it can also lead to heavy losses.

When trading using CFDs, it is key to be skilled at technical analysis and reading stock price charts. As you’re trading stocks quickly and frequently, the fundamental strength of the company in which you’re investing isn’t as important as being able to predict how its stock price will rise and fall minute-by-minute.

Pros

• Can generate fast profits if you read the market right 
• Some platforms allow you to trade with leverage
• Prevents your capital being tied up so you can take advantage of investment opportunities

Cons

• Trading with leverage is risky and can lead to big losses
• Doesn’t necessarily generate growth over the long term

Consider which approach suits you best and craft an investment strategy that works for you. If you need more information, then simply take our course on how to trade stocks.

If neither of these options appeal to you, then you can find a variety of other ways to invest in JDW stock on this page. If, however, you’re ready to get involved now, simply select one of the brokers in the table above and get started. 

How to choose a broker

With the wide variety of online brokers available these days, it can be hard to figure out which is the best service to go with. Our comparison table and in-depth reviews can help you cut through the noise, but by and large these are the aspects you should be considering when selecting a broker:

• Range of stocks available. The most important thing is that you can actually use the broker to buy the shares you’re looking for. Some brokers offer more stocks than others, and many will allow you to trade other assets, such as forex, cryptocurrency, and commodities.
• Fees and commissions. You want to keep as large a chunk of your profits as you can, so it’s important to make sure your broker doesn’t charge high fees that can eat into your profits.
• Regulation. You should only use regulated brokers to place trades. Unregulated brokers can be risky and offer little to no protection if the business were to fail while you had funds in your account.
• Payment methods available. You might want to use a specific payment method, such as PayPal. Not all brokers accept every payment method, but by using our comparisons, you can search only the brokers that support the option you’re looking for.
• Reputation. One of the strongest indicators of a broker’s reliability is the reputation it has with the customers who have used it. Brokers are online businesses, and as such many user experiences can be found online. You can check these out in addition to our reviews to make sure you choose the right platform.
• Customer service. As you’re going to be investing your money using the platform, you want to check that the broker offers good customer service in case you have a query or something goes wrong.