Global Retirement Partners LLC Raises Stock Holdings in British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI

Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) by 31.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,499 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,721 shares during the quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $2,803,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BTI. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 12,870.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,470,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $502,687,000 after purchasing an additional 9,397,693 shares during the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd lifted its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 20.7% during the 2nd quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 14,503,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,473,000 after purchasing an additional 2,482,737 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 64,057,419 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,399,352,000 after purchasing an additional 1,891,042 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 29.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,934,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $368,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,578,860 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in British American Tobacco by 85.1% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,757,559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,515,000 after buying an additional 1,267,425 shares in the last quarter. 16.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BTI. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen lowered British American Tobacco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, April 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered British American Tobacco from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Price Performance

Shares of BTI stock opened at $65.40 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.48. 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 p.l.c. has a fifty-two week low of $44.58 and a fifty-two week high of $67.30.

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.