Jefferies Financial Group Issues Positive Forecast for British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) Stock Price

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group has raised the price target for British American Tobacco from GBX 4,800 to GBX 5,200, indicating a potential upside of 23.22% from the stock's previous close.
• Overall, British American Tobacco currently holds an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of GBX 3,960.
• Recent insider activity shows that Tadeu Marroco, an insider, purchased 206 shares of the company, indicating confidence in the stock's potential.

British American Tobacco (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from GBX 4,800 ($64.55) to GBX 5,200 ($69.93) in a report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 24.13% from the stock's previous close.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a GBX 3,000 ($40.34) price objective on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of British American Tobacco from GBX 2,800 ($37.65) to GBX 3,300 ($44.38) and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on British American Tobacco from GBX 4,200 ($56.48) to GBX 4,400 ($59.17) and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 3,960 ($53.25).

British American Tobacco Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of BATS traded down GBX 44 ($0.59) during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting GBX 4,189 ($56.33). 2,564,514 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,440,860. The business's 50-day moving average price is GBX 3,693.60 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 3,344.48. British American Tobacco has a 1 year low of GBX 2,556.23 ($34.38) and a 1 year high of GBX 4,243 ($57.06). The firm has a market capitalization of £92.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.76, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 74.63.

British American Tobacco (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported GBX 162.90 ($2.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. British American Tobacco had a negative return on equity of 25.94% and a negative net margin of 52.84%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that British American Tobacco will post 361.5079365 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Tadeu Marroco bought 601 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 3,296 ($44.32) per share, with a total value of £19,808.96 ($26,639.27). Also, insider Soraya Benchikh purchased 55 shares of British American Tobacco stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 4,131 ($55.55) per share, for a total transaction of £2,272.05 ($3,055.47). Over the last three months, insiders purchased 1,283 shares of company stock worth $4,630,696. 10.55% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.