British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) Reaches New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• British American Tobacco's stock reached a new 52-week high, trading at GBX 3,921 ($52.38), signaling positive momentum in the market.
• Analysts from Citigroup and Deutsche Bank have both upgraded their price targets for BATS, reflecting confidence in the company's growth prospects.
• Insider buying activity is noted, with executives acquiring a total of 829 shares valued at nearly $2.75 million in the last quarter, suggesting strong insider confidence in the company's future.

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as GBX 3,921 ($52.38) and last traded at GBX 3,915.50 ($52.31), with a volume of 16833941 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,869 ($51.69).

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on BATS shares. Citigroup raised their price target on British American Tobacco from GBX 3,600 ($48.10) to GBX 3,900 ($52.10) and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of British American Tobacco from GBX 3,800 ($50.77) to GBX 4,200 ($56.11) and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th.

British American Tobacco Price Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average price is GBX 3,567.31 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 3,284.42. 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 £86.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.35, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Tadeu Marroco acquired 601 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 3,296 ($44.03) per share, with a total value of £19,808.96 ($26,464.88). Insiders purchased a total of 829 shares of company stock worth $2,751,446 in the last quarter. 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.

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