British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.00.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on BTI shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Friday, November 28th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Kepler Capital Markets began coverage on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Friday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Friday, November 28th.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

BTI stock opened at $58.86 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $58.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. British American Tobacco has a 1 year low of $37.31 and a 1 year high of $63.03.

British American Tobacco Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 29th will be paid a $0.8349 dividend. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 29th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of BTI. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 12,870.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,470,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $502,687,000 after purchasing an additional 9,397,693 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 2,066.9% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,476,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $164,519,000 after buying an additional 3,315,589 shares during the period. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd lifted its position in British American Tobacco by 20.7% during the 2nd quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 14,503,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,473,000 after acquiring an additional 2,482,737 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in British American Tobacco by 833.5% in the 2nd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 2,121,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,430,000 after acquiring an additional 1,894,617 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its position in British American Tobacco by 3.0% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 64,057,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,399,352,000 after acquiring an additional 1,891,042 shares in the last quarter. 16.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

British American Tobacco Company Profile

British American Tobacco plc (BTI) is a multinational tobacco manufacturer and nicotine products company headquartered in London. Founded in 1902 as a joint venture to commercialize tobacco products outside the United States, the company has grown into one of the world’s largest tobacco firms with a long history in manufacturing and global distribution of combustible tobacco products.

BAT’s core business remains the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products under a portfolio of well-known consumer brands, including Dunhill, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Kent and Rothmans.