British American Tobacco Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:BTI)

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 534,392 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 10,434% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,073 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in British American Tobacco in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its stake in British American Tobacco by 48.6% during the third quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 633 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc increased its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 163.2% during the third quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 750 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. 16.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

British American Tobacco Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of BTI stock traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $56.95. The company had a trading volume of 2,394,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,068,882. British American Tobacco has a 12 month low of $34.82 and a 12 month high of $59.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $55.35 and its 200 day moving average is $53.85.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BTI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of British American Tobacco from a “sector perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Argus raised British American Tobacco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, September 8th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, British American Tobacco currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.00.

About British American Tobacco

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.