British American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI) Upgraded to Strong-Buy by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of British American Tobacco (NYSE:BTI – Get Rating) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered shares of British American Tobacco from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a report on Monday.

British American Tobacco Stock Down 0.2 %

British American Tobacco stock opened at $36.79 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $38.20 and a 200 day moving average of $38.88. British American Tobacco has a 12-month low of $35.47 and a 12-month high of $45.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

British American Tobacco Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 22nd will be issued a dividend of $0.7006 per share. This is a positive change from British American Tobacco’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 21st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On British American Tobacco

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new stake in British American Tobacco during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sanctuary Wealth Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of British American Tobacco during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Trustcore Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of British American Tobacco during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of British American Tobacco during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Motco boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 1,025.4% during the 4th quarter. Motco now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. 6.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About British American Tobacco

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British American Tobacco plc is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture and distribution of tobacco products. Its brands include Kent, Dunhill, Lucky Strike, and Pall Mall. It operates through the following geographical segments: United States, Asia-Pacific and Middle East (APME), Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa (AMSSA), and Europe and North Africa (ENA).