British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI Shares Bought by Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC

Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) by 53.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 141,815 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 49,240 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $7,528,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of BTI. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in British American Tobacco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of British American Tobacco during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 48.6% during the 3rd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 633 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 100.0% in the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 782 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco in the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.16% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BTI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of British American Tobacco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of British American Tobacco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, November 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of BTI opened at $57.81 on Friday. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 1 year low of $37.96 and a 1 year high of $63.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.39.

British American Tobacco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 8th. Shareholders 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 yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 29th.

British American Tobacco Company 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.