Sanctuary Advisors LLC Acquires 32,530 Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI

Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) by 25.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 159,220 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 32,530 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $9,310,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 7,270 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in British American Tobacco by 42.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 8,455 shares of the company’s stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 2,521 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 10.2% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,017 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 559 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in British American Tobacco by 58.6% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after buying an additional 5,486 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 816 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.16% of the company’s stock.

British American Tobacco Trading Down 0.4%

NYSE:BTI opened at $62.89 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $61.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.82. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 52-week low of $49.88 and a 52-week high of $67.30.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on BTI. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of British American Tobacco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 13th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of British American Tobacco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, British American Tobacco has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.00.

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.