Highland Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 15,000 British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI

Key Points

• Highland Capital Management LLC acquired 15,000 shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. valued at approximately $710,000 in the second quarter, indicating institutional interest in the company.
• Various hedge funds, including GAMMA Investing LLC and NBC Securities Inc., significantly increased their stakes in British American Tobacco, with some reporting stakes raised by thousands of percent.
• Analysts have issued mixed ratings for British American Tobacco, with five recommending a "Buy" and a consensus target price of $51.00, reflecting differing opinions on the company's growth potential.

Highland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 15,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $710,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in British American Tobacco by 5,144.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 276,393 shares of the company's stock worth $11,434,000 after purchasing an additional 271,123 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 173,100.0% in the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,732 shares of the company's stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 1,731 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in British American Tobacco during the 1st quarter valued at $476,000. Pines Wealth Management LLC grew its position in British American Tobacco by 25.0% in the 1st quarter. Pines Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,405 shares of the company's stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 1,682 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in British American Tobacco by 5.8% in the first quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,934 shares of the company's stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the period. 16.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

Shares of BTI stock opened at $51.22 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $105.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.52, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.42. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 52-week low of $34.17 and a 52-week high of $59.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company's 50 day moving average is $55.56 and its 200 day moving average is $48.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "underweight" rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered British American Tobacco from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on British American Tobacco in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Saturday, September 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Profile

British American Tobacco p.l.c. engages in the provision of tobacco and nicotine products to consumers worldwide. It also offers vapour, heated, and modern oral nicotine products; combustible cigarettes; and traditional oral products, such as snus and moist snuff. The company offers its products under the Vuse, glo, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans, Camel, Natural American Spirit, Newport, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Peter Stuyvesant, Craven A, State Express 555 and Shuang Xi brands.

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