British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• British American Tobacco shares crossed above their 200‑day moving average, trading as high as GBX 4,506 and last at GBX 4,350.77 on volume of 2,942,033 shares (200‑day MA GBX 4,225.82).
• Jefferies reiterated a "buy" rating with a GBX 5,200 target while the consensus from five analysts is a "Hold" with an average price target of GBX 4,500; the stock trades at a P/E of 12.49 and the company has a market cap of £94.5 billion.
• Insider Tadeu Marroco sold 9,383 shares at GBX 4,284 on March 23 for about £401,968, and the company reported quarterly EPS of GBX 176.76 with a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 30.23%.

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 4,225.82 and traded as high as GBX 4,506. British American Tobacco shares last traded at GBX 4,350.77, with a volume of 2,942,033 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 5,200 target price on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 4,500.

British American Tobacco Trading Up 0.6%

The business has a 50 day moving average of GBX 4,433.76 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 4,225.82. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 74.60. The firm has a market capitalization of £94.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.12.

British American Tobacco (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported GBX 176.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. British American Tobacco had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 30.23%. Analysts anticipate that British American Tobacco p.l.c. will post 361.5079365 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at British American Tobacco

In related news, insider Tadeu Marroco sold 9,383 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 4,284, for a total transaction of £401,967.72. Insiders own 0.12% of the company's stock.

British American Tobacco Company Profile

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. Our corporate purpose is to build A Better Tomorrow™, reducing the health impact of our business, by offering adult consumers a greater choice of enjoyable and less risky*† products compared to cigarettes.

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