Analysts Set British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) Target Price at $51.00

Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $51.00.

Several research firms recently weighed in on BTI. Wall Street Zen upgraded British American Tobacco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded British American Tobacco from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Thursday, May 14th.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

NYSE:BTI opened at $59.91 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $60.11 and its 200 day moving average is $58.99. British American Tobacco has a fifty-two week low of $46.38 and a fifty-two week high of $67.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.87.

Institutional Trading of British American Tobacco

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of BTI. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in British American Tobacco by 35.2% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 27,914 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,155,000 after purchasing an additional 7,270 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in British American Tobacco by 42.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 8,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 2,521 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its stake in British American Tobacco by 10.2% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 6,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in British American Tobacco by 58.6% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,853 shares of the company’s stock worth $703,000 after purchasing an additional 5,486 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. increased its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 5.4% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 15,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $756,000 after buying an additional 816 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.