British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• British American Tobacco shares rose above their 200-day moving average, reaching GBX 4,483.15 and last trading at GBX 4,477 on volume of nearly 1.8 million shares.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a GBX 4,875 target price. Jefferies raised its target to GBX 5,600, while Deutsche Bank set a GBX 5,100 objective; RBC remains bearish with an “underperform” rating.
• BAT reported quarterly EPS of GBX 203.60, with a 24.99% net margin and 13.38% return on equity. Insiders have also bought 11,892 shares worth approximately $51.9 million over the past 90 days.

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 4,387.04 and traded as high as GBX 4,483.15. British American Tobacco shares last traded at GBX 4,477, with a volume of 1,788,986 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on BATS. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of British American Tobacco from GBX 5,500 to GBX 5,600 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of British American Tobacco from GBX 3,600 to GBX 3,800 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a GBX 5,100 price objective on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of GBX 4,875.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 4,178.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 4,387.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 72.48, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of £96.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.40, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.11.

British American Tobacco (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported GBX 203.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. British American Tobacco had a return on equity of 13.38% and a net margin of 24.99%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that British American Tobacco p.l.c. will post 361.51 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other British American Tobacco news, insider Tadeu Marroco bought 377 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 4,214 per share, for a total transaction of £15,886.78. Also, insider Matthew Wright bought 5,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 4,500 per share, for a total transaction of £247,500. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 11,892 shares of company stock worth $51,924,772. 0.12% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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