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British American Tobacco (BATS) Competitors

British American Tobacco logo
GBX 4,129 0.00 (0.00%)
As of 08/28/2026 12:12 PM Eastern

BATS vs. IMB, ULVR, RB, DGE, and CCEP

Should you buy British American Tobacco stock or one of its competitors? British American Tobacco's main competitors and comparable companies include Imperial Brands (IMB), Unilever (ULVR), Reckitt Benckiser Group (RB), Diageo (DGE), and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "consumer staples" sector.

How does British American Tobacco compare to Imperial Brands?

British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) and Imperial Brands (LON:IMB) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, valuation and media sentiment.

In the previous week, Imperial Brands had 2 more articles in the media than British American Tobacco. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for Imperial Brands and 0 mentions for British American Tobacco. Imperial Brands' average media sentiment score of 0.82 beat British American Tobacco's score of 0.00 indicating that Imperial Brands is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
British American Tobacco Neutral
Imperial Brands Positive

75.6% of British American Tobacco shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.9% of Imperial Brands shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of British American Tobacco shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Imperial Brands shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

British American Tobacco presently has a consensus target price of GBX 4,858.33, indicating a potential upside of 17.66%. Imperial Brands has a consensus target price of GBX 3,433.33, indicating a potential upside of 36.15%. Given Imperial Brands' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Imperial Brands is more favorable than British American Tobacco.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
British American Tobacco
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50
Imperial Brands
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.71

British American Tobacco has a beta of 0.125, suggesting that its share price is 88% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Imperial Brands has a beta of 0.145, suggesting that its share price is 86% less volatile than the broader market.

British American Tobacco has a net margin of 24.99% compared to Imperial Brands' net margin of 8.96%. Imperial Brands' return on equity of 39.24% beat British American Tobacco's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
British American Tobacco24.99% 13.38% 5.16%
Imperial Brands 8.96%39.24%6.92%

Imperial Brands has higher revenue and earnings than British American Tobacco. Imperial Brands is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than British American Tobacco, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
British American Tobacco£25.78B3.46-£13.64B£290.8014.20
Imperial Brands£32.29B0.60£1.98B£212.6011.86

British American Tobacco pays an annual dividend of GBX 242.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.9%. Imperial Brands pays an annual dividend of GBX 160.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.4%. British American Tobacco pays out 83.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Imperial Brands pays out 75.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Imperial Brands is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Imperial Brands beats British American Tobacco on 14 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does British American Tobacco compare to Unilever?

Unilever (LON:ULVR) and British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, risk, media sentiment, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability and analyst recommendations.

In the previous week, Unilever had 1 more articles in the media than British American Tobacco. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for Unilever and 0 mentions for British American Tobacco. Unilever's average media sentiment score of 1.05 beat British American Tobacco's score of 0.00 indicating that Unilever is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Unilever Positive
British American Tobacco Neutral

Unilever currently has a consensus target price of GBX 4,753.33, suggesting a potential downside of 0.47%. British American Tobacco has a consensus target price of GBX 4,858.33, suggesting a potential upside of 17.66%. Given British American Tobacco's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe British American Tobacco is more favorable than Unilever.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Unilever
2 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.83
British American Tobacco
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

British American Tobacco has a net margin of 24.99% compared to Unilever's net margin of 12.26%. Unilever's return on equity of 35.40% beat British American Tobacco's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Unilever12.26% 35.40% 8.62%
British American Tobacco 24.99%13.38%5.16%

45.8% of Unilever shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.6% of British American Tobacco shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of Unilever shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of British American Tobacco shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Unilever has higher revenue and earnings than British American Tobacco. Unilever is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than British American Tobacco, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Unilever£50.62B2.03£7.79B£432.0011.06
British American Tobacco£25.78B3.46-£13.64B£290.8014.20

Unilever has a beta of 0.454, meaning that its stock price is 55% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, British American Tobacco has a beta of 0.125, meaning that its stock price is 88% less volatile than the broader market.

Unilever pays an annual dividend of GBX 204.51 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. British American Tobacco pays an annual dividend of GBX 242.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.9%. Unilever pays out 47.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. British American Tobacco pays out 83.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Summary

Unilever beats British American Tobacco on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does British American Tobacco compare to Reckitt Benckiser Group?

British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) and Reckitt Benckiser Group (LON:RB) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, valuation, institutional ownership and media sentiment.

75.6% of British American Tobacco shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of British American Tobacco shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Reckitt Benckiser Group has lower revenue, but higher earnings than British American Tobacco. Reckitt Benckiser Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than British American Tobacco, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
British American Tobacco£25.78B3.46-£13.64B£290.8014.20
Reckitt Benckiser Group£13.99B0.00N/A£166.30N/A

British American Tobacco currently has a consensus target price of GBX 4,858.33, suggesting a potential upside of 17.66%. Given British American Tobacco's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe British American Tobacco is more favorable than Reckitt Benckiser Group.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
British American Tobacco
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50
Reckitt Benckiser Group
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
0 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
0.00

In the previous week, Reckitt Benckiser Group had 1 more articles in the media than British American Tobacco. MarketBeat recorded 1 mentions for Reckitt Benckiser Group and 0 mentions for British American Tobacco. British American Tobacco's average media sentiment score of 0.00 equaled Reckitt Benckiser Group'saverage media sentiment score.

Company Overall Sentiment
British American Tobacco Neutral
Reckitt Benckiser Group Neutral

British American Tobacco has a net margin of 24.99% compared to Reckitt Benckiser Group's net margin of 0.00%. British American Tobacco's return on equity of 13.38% beat Reckitt Benckiser Group's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
British American Tobacco24.99% 13.38% 5.16%
Reckitt Benckiser Group N/A N/A N/A

British American Tobacco pays an annual dividend of GBX 242.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.9%. Reckitt Benckiser Group pays an annual dividend of GBX 175 per share. British American Tobacco pays out 83.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Reckitt Benckiser Group pays out 105.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. British American Tobacco is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

British American Tobacco beats Reckitt Benckiser Group on 12 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does British American Tobacco compare to Diageo?

British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) and Diageo (LON:DGE) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings and media sentiment.

In the previous week, Diageo had 4 more articles in the media than British American Tobacco. MarketBeat recorded 4 mentions for Diageo and 0 mentions for British American Tobacco. Diageo's average media sentiment score of 0.60 beat British American Tobacco's score of 0.00 indicating that Diageo is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Overall Sentiment
British American Tobacco Neutral
Diageo Positive

Diageo has lower revenue, but higher earnings than British American Tobacco. British American Tobacco is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Diageo, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
British American Tobacco£25.78B3.46-£13.64B£290.8014.20
Diageo£19.64B1.93£3.96B£108.2015.79

British American Tobacco currently has a consensus target price of GBX 4,858.33, suggesting a potential upside of 17.66%. Diageo has a consensus target price of GBX 2,029, suggesting a potential upside of 18.72%. Given Diageo's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Diageo is more favorable than British American Tobacco.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
British American Tobacco
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50
Diageo
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57

British American Tobacco has a beta of 0.125, suggesting that its share price is 88% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Diageo has a beta of 0.307, suggesting that its share price is 69% less volatile than the broader market.

75.6% of British American Tobacco shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 61.2% of Diageo shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of British American Tobacco shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Diageo shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

British American Tobacco pays an annual dividend of GBX 242.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.9%. Diageo pays an annual dividend of GBX 102.70 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.0%. British American Tobacco pays out 83.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Diageo pays out 94.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

British American Tobacco has a net margin of 24.99% compared to Diageo's net margin of 8.91%. Diageo's return on equity of 15.52% beat British American Tobacco's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
British American Tobacco24.99% 13.38% 5.16%
Diageo 8.91%15.52%8.30%

Summary

Diageo beats British American Tobacco on 11 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does British American Tobacco compare to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners?

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (LON:CCEP) and British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, media sentiment, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners pays an annual dividend of GBX 204 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. British American Tobacco pays an annual dividend of GBX 242.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.9%. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners pays out 47.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. British American Tobacco pays out 83.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

20.9% of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.6% of British American Tobacco shares are held by institutional investors. 18.3% of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of British American Tobacco shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has higher earnings, but lower revenue than British American Tobacco. British American Tobacco is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners£21.35B1.66£1.94B£426.0018.80
British American Tobacco£25.78B3.46-£13.64B£290.8014.20

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has a beta of 0.48, suggesting that its share price is 52% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, British American Tobacco has a beta of 0.125, suggesting that its share price is 88% less volatile than the broader market.

British American Tobacco has a net margin of 24.99% compared to Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' net margin of 9.34%. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' return on equity of 24.93% beat British American Tobacco's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners9.34% 24.93% 4.80%
British American Tobacco 24.99%13.38%5.16%

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners presently has a consensus target price of GBX 8,320, indicating a potential upside of 3.87%. British American Tobacco has a consensus target price of GBX 4,858.33, indicating a potential upside of 17.66%. Given British American Tobacco's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe British American Tobacco is more favorable than Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00
British American Tobacco
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50

In the previous week, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' average media sentiment score of 0.00 equaled British American Tobacco'saverage media sentiment score.

Company Overall Sentiment
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Neutral
British American Tobacco Neutral

Summary

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and British American Tobacco tied by winning 8 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding BATS and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of LON and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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BATS vs. The Competition

MetricBritish American TobaccoTobacco IndustryConsumer Staples SectorLON Exchange
Market Cap£89.06B£48.39B£15.89B£2.92B
Dividend Yield5.90%4.76%3.20%6.17%
P/E Ratio14.2012.3813.56367.33
Price / Sales3.4631.10262,948.8183,334.22
Price / Cash18.6413.7456.5227.89
Price / Book1.6916.174.986.99
Net Income-£13.64B£1.46B£836.00M£5.89B
7 Day Performance-1.55%-1.70%-0.81%0.76%
1 Month Performance-9.65%-3.91%0.73%3.74%
1 Year Performance-1.58%-9.90%12.59%22.85%

British American Tobacco Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
BATS
British American Tobacco
2.2728 of 5 stars
GBX 4,129
flat
GBX 4,858.33
+17.7%
-1.6%£89.06B£25.78B14.2052,000
IMB
Imperial Brands
2.8734 of 5 stars
GBX 2,521.71
-0.1%
GBX 3,433.33
+36.2%
-19.3%£19.35B£32.29B11.8625,200
ULVR
Unilever
1.7942 of 5 stars
GBX 4,776
+0.5%
GBX 4,753.33
-0.5%
+2.4%£102.89B£50.62B11.06148,000
RB
Reckitt Benckiser Group
N/AN/AN/AN/A£48.36B£13.99B40.7937,756
DGE
Diageo
2.8662 of 5 stars
GBX 1,709
+0.4%
GBX 2,029
+18.7%
-17.1%£38.00B£19.64B15.7930,269

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This page (LON:BATS) was last updated on 8/31/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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