Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Buys Shares of 32,444 British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 32,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,837,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in British American Tobacco by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 64,057,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,399,352,000 after buying an additional 1,891,042 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its holdings in British American Tobacco by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 22,068,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,171,399,000 after purchasing an additional 559,189 shares during the period. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd boosted its holdings in British American Tobacco by 20.7% in the 2nd quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 14,503,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $686,473,000 after purchasing an additional 2,482,737 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in British American Tobacco by 12,870.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,470,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $502,687,000 after purchasing an additional 9,397,693 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in British American Tobacco by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,934,792 shares of the company’s stock valued at $368,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,578,860 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on BTI. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, April 5th. Weiss Ratings cut British American Tobacco from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Price Performance

BTI opened at $64.01 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $59.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.75. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 12-month low of $44.58 and a 12-month high of $67.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

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.