British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $51.00.

Several analysts have recently commented on BTI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Kepler Capital Markets assumed coverage on British American Tobacco in a report on Friday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded British American Tobacco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Friday, November 28th.

British American Tobacco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE BTI opened at $63.07 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $58.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $56.23. British American Tobacco has a 52 week low of $37.96 and a 52 week high of $63.22.

British American Tobacco Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 29th will be given a dividend of $0.8349 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 29th. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.3%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On British American Tobacco

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BTI. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in British American Tobacco by 35.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 27,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,155,000 after buying an additional 7,270 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 42.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 8,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 2,521 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 23,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,083,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 7.9% in the second quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 24,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,162,000 after acquiring an additional 1,805 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in British American Tobacco by 2.6% in the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 12,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $613,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.16% of the company’s stock.

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.