353,580 Shares in British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI Acquired by Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 353,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,768,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. WCM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco during the third quarter worth $1,612,000. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 129,500 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp increased its position in British American Tobacco by 6.0% during the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 427,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,680,000 after acquiring an additional 24,114 shares during the period. AdvisorShares Investments LLC raised its stake in British American Tobacco by 252.5% in the 3rd quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 24,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 17,798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Insigneo Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in British American Tobacco in the 2nd quarter worth about $391,000. 16.16% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

BTI stock opened at $59.93 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $59.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $56.42. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 12 month low of $37.96 and a 12 month high of $63.22. 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 29th will be paid a $0.8349 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 29th. This represents a $3.34 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.6%.

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.