Investors Buy Large Volume of Call Options on British American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI)

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors bought 40,260 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 327% compared to the typical volume of 9,420 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BTI. Weiss Ratings upgraded British American Tobacco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Kepler Capital Markets started coverage on British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of British American Tobacco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Price Performance

British American Tobacco stock traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $57.79. 3,737,089 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,411,689. British American Tobacco has a 1-year low of $37.96 and a 1-year high of $63.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.59. 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.8349 per share. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On British American Tobacco

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BTI. First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 1,386.7% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 446 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC bought a new position in British American Tobacco during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in British American Tobacco during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in British American Tobacco by 141.2% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 591 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in British American Tobacco in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 16.16% of the stock is owned by 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.