British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• British American Tobacco has a “Moderate Buy” consensus from six analysts: four buys, one hold and one sell. The average 12-month price target is GBX 4,858.33, above the reported opening price of GBX 4,125.39.
• Recent broker actions were mostly positive, including buy ratings and raised targets from Jefferies and UBS, although Royal Bank of Canada maintained an “underperform” rating with a GBX 3,800 target.
• BAT reported quarterly EPS of GBX 203.60, with a 24.99% net margin and 13.38% return on equity. Insiders also purchased shares worth approximately £263,000 in recent transactions.

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

BATS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a GBX 5,100 price target on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of British American Tobacco from GBX 5,200 to GBX 5,500 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 5,750 price target on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on British American Tobacco from GBX 3,600 to GBX 3,800 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th.

British American Tobacco Price Performance

Shares of BATS stock opened at GBX 4,125.39 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of £88.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.19, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.12. The company's 50-day simple moving average is GBX 4,396.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is GBX 4,443.95. British American Tobacco has a one year low of GBX 3,677 and a one year high of GBX 5,368. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 72.48, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

British American Tobacco (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported GBX 203.60 earnings per share for the quarter. British American Tobacco had a net margin of 24.99% and a return on equity of 13.38%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that British American Tobacco will post 361.5079365 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Tadeu Marroco bought 377 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 4,214 per share, for a total transaction of £15,886.78. Also, insider Matthew Wright acquired 5,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 4,500 per share, with a total value of £247,500. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 5,890 shares of company stock valued at $26,395,990. Insiders own 0.13% 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. 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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