British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) Reaches New 12-Month High - Here's What Happened

Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as GBX 4,283 ($57.95) and last traded at GBX 4,283 ($57.95), with a volume of 9932030 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 4,228 ($57.20).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on BATS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on British American Tobacco from GBX 4,200 ($56.83) to GBX 4,400 ($59.53) and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on British American Tobacco from GBX 4,800 ($64.94) to GBX 5,200 ($70.36) and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on British American Tobacco from GBX 2,800 ($37.88) to GBX 3,300 ($44.65) and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a GBX 3,000 ($40.59) price objective on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 3,960 ($53.58).

British American Tobacco Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 74.63. The firm has a market capitalization of £91.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.27. The stock's 50 day moving average price is GBX 3,781.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 3,387.92.

British American Tobacco (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported GBX 162.90 ($2.20) earnings per share for the quarter. British American Tobacco had a negative net margin of 52.84% and a negative return on equity of 25.94%. Analysts anticipate that British American Tobacco p.l.c. will post 361.5079365 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at British American Tobacco

In other British American Tobacco news, insider Tadeu Marroco bought 396 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 4,131 ($55.89) per share, with a total value of £16,358.76 ($22,133.35). Also, insider Soraya Benchikh bought 55 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 4,131 ($55.89) per share, for a total transaction of £2,272.05 ($3,074.08). Insiders have acquired 646 shares of company stock worth $2,664,666 over the last three months. Company insiders own 10.55% of the company's stock.

About British American Tobacco

BAT was founded in 1902 and was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1912. A constituent of the FTSE 100 since its creation in 1984, we have evolved, becoming the only truly global company in our sector. BAT is transforming and is well positioned with a global footprint and multi-category portfolio.