27,251 Shares in British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI Purchased by Perpetual Ltd

Perpetual Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 27,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,543,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. WCM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in British American Tobacco during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,612,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 44.3% in the third quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 421,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,389,000 after purchasing an additional 129,500 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 6.0% in the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 427,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,680,000 after buying an additional 24,114 shares during the period. AdvisorShares Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 252.5% in the third quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 24,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,319,000 after buying an additional 17,798 shares during the period. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 8.7% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,779,137 shares of the company’s stock valued at $200,597,000 after buying an additional 303,136 shares in the last quarter. 16.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BTI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Kepler Capital Markets began coverage on British American Tobacco in a research note on Friday, December 12th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of British American Tobacco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:BTI opened at $58.31 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 1 year low of $37.96 and a 1 year high of $63.22.

British American Tobacco Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.8349 per share. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 29th.

British American Tobacco Profile

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.