British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) Short Interest Update

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in the month of August. As of August 14th, there was short interest totaling 3,879,532 shares, a decrease of 37.3% from the July 30th total of 6,183,718 shares. Approximately 0.2% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 3,897,260 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.0 days.

British American Tobacco Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BTI opened at $56.16 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.94. British American Tobacco has a 52-week low of $49.88 and a 52-week high of $67.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.50.

British American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.21 by ($1.10). The firm had revenue of $8.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $16.42 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that British American Tobacco will post 4.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of British American Tobacco

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 1,386.7% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 446 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC bought a new position in British American Tobacco in the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in British American Tobacco during the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased 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 buying an additional 346 shares in the last quarter. 16.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BTI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “underperform” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Monday, June 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, August 9th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.00.

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.