Opal Capital LLC Purchases 53,098 Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI

Opal Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) by 30.9% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 224,796 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 53,098 shares during the quarter. British American Tobacco makes up approximately 2.3% of Opal Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Opal Capital LLC’s holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $13,144,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in British American Tobacco by 42.5% in the second 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 period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in British American Tobacco by 10.2% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in British American Tobacco by 58.6% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 5,486 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in British American Tobacco by 5.4% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 15,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 816 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BTI. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen cut British American Tobacco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. BTIG Research assumed coverage on British American Tobacco in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Monday, June 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, British American Tobacco has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

BTI stock opened at $62.34 on Wednesday. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a twelve month low of $49.88 and a twelve month high of $67.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.87. The business has a fifty day moving average of $61.41 and a 200-day moving average of $60.13.

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.