Wall Street Zen Downgrades British American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI) to Hold

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded British American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI) from a Buy to a Hold in a research note issued Sunday.
• MarketBeat's consensus remains a Moderate Buy with a $51 consensus price target, though analyst views are mixed — Weiss upgraded to Buy, Kepler initiated Buy, and Morgan Stanley kept an Underweight.
• BTI opened at $58.31 and is trading close to its 52‑week high of $63.22, while several large institutions (notably Capital International Investors) have recently increased their stakes, with institutional ownership reported at 16.16%.

British American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised British American Tobacco from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Kepler Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Friday, December 12th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

NYSE:BTI opened at $58.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.57. British American Tobacco has a fifty-two week low of $37.96 and a fifty-two week high of $63.22. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $59.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.65.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors lifted its position in British American Tobacco by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 64,389,481 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,645,500,000 after acquiring an additional 332,062 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 22,333,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,264,512,000 after purchasing an additional 264,511 shares in the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 20.7% during the second quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 14,503,968 shares of the company's stock valued at $686,473,000 after buying an additional 2,482,737 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in British American Tobacco by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,518,567 shares of the company's stock worth $538,935,000 after buying an additional 47,858 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 29.5% in the third quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,934,792 shares of the company's stock worth $368,099,000 after acquiring an additional 1,578,860 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 16.16% of the company's stock.

About British American Tobacco

British American Tobacco plc (BTI) is a multinational tobacco manufacturer and nicotine products company headquartered in London. Founded in 1902 as a joint venture to commercialize tobacco products outside the United States, the company has grown into one of the world's largest tobacco firms with a long history in manufacturing and global distribution of combustible tobacco products.

BAT's core business remains the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products under a portfolio of well-known consumer brands, including Dunhill, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Kent and Rothmans.

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