British American Tobacco Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:BTI)

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Monday. Traders acquired 534,392 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 10,434% compared to the typical daily volume of 5,073 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

BTI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Argus upgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $62.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $51.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On British American Tobacco

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco in the second quarter valued at about $30,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its position 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. Binnacle Investments Inc boosted its stake in British American Tobacco by 163.2% during the 3rd quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in British American Tobacco by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 782 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.16% of the company’s stock.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BTI traded down $0.32 on Monday, reaching $56.95. The company had a trading volume of 2,394,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,068,882. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $55.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.85. British American Tobacco has a twelve month low of $34.82 and a twelve month high of $59.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

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.