Capital World Investors Raises Stock Position in British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI

Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,518,567 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 47,858 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors’ holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $538,935,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of BTI. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd increased its stake 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 worth $686,473,000 after buying an additional 2,482,737 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in British American Tobacco by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 64,057,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,399,352,000 after buying an additional 1,891,042 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake 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 worth $368,099,000 after buying an additional 1,578,860 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in British American Tobacco by 85.1% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,757,559 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,515,000 after buying an additional 1,267,425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC purchased a new position in shares of British American Tobacco during the third quarter valued at about $47,852,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on BTI shares. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded British American Tobacco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded British American Tobacco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

Shares of British American Tobacco stock opened at $59.91 on Monday. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a twelve month low of $46.38 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 50-day moving average price of $60.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $59.02.

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.