British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give British American Tobacco a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating: Four of six analysts rate the stock a buy, while one rates it a hold and one an underperform. The average 12-month price target is GBX 4,858.33.
• Recent broker updates were generally positive, with UBS, Deutsche Bank and Jefferies maintaining buy ratings and price targets ranging from GBX 5,100 to GBX 5,750; RBC maintained an underperform rating with a GBX 3,800 target.
• Insiders have been buying shares: Executives purchased 10,564 shares worth approximately $46.6 million during the last quarter. The stock opened at GBX 4,231, compared with a 52-week range of GBX 3,677 to GBX 5,368.

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 4,858.33.

Several research firms recently commented on BATS. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 5,750 price target on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a GBX 5,100 target price on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on British American Tobacco from GBX 5,200 to GBX 5,500 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of British American Tobacco from GBX 3,600 to GBX 3,800 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday.

Insider Transactions at British American Tobacco

In other news, insider Tadeu Marroco acquired 5,000 shares of British American Tobacco stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 4,306 per share, with a total value of £215,300. Also, insider Serpil Timuray acquired 47 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 4,372 per share, with a total value of £2,054.84. In the last quarter, insiders bought 10,564 shares of company stock worth $46,561,206. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

British American Tobacco Price Performance

British American Tobacco stock opened at GBX 4,231 on Wednesday. British American Tobacco has a 52-week low of GBX 3,677 and a 52-week high of GBX 5,368. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.31. The firm's fifty day moving average is GBX 4,525.08 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 4,476.60. The company has a market cap of £91.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.55, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.13.

British American Tobacco (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported GBX 203.60 EPS for the quarter. British American Tobacco had a net margin of 24.99% and a return on equity of 13.38%. Sell-side analysts forecast that British American Tobacco will post 361.5079365 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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. 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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