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

Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $51.00.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Monday, June 8th. 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. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of British American Tobacco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Thursday, May 14th.

British American Tobacco Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of NYSE:BTI opened at $60.89 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. British American Tobacco has a twelve month low of $46.38 and a twelve month high of $67.30. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $60.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.34.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On British American Tobacco

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of BTI. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 12,870.7% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,470,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $502,687,000 after acquiring an additional 9,397,693 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 34.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 9,736,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $569,313,000 after acquiring an additional 2,494,576 shares during the period. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 20.7% in the second quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 14,503,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $686,473,000 after acquiring an additional 2,482,737 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 3,899.7% in the first quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,362,818 shares of the company’s stock valued at $137,658,000 after acquiring an additional 2,303,743 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 64,057,419 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,399,352,000 after acquiring an additional 1,891,042 shares in the last quarter. 16.16% of the stock is currently 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.