Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. Grows Stock Position in British American Tobacco p.l.c. $BTI

Cantor Fitzgerald L. P. lifted its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) by 319.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 21,414 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,313 shares during the period. Cantor Fitzgerald L. P.’s holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $1,137,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. City State Bank boosted its stake in British American Tobacco by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. City State Bank now owns 2,105 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 48.6% in the third quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 633 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 2.5% in the second quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $410,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 2.0% during the third quarter. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,524 shares of the company’s stock worth $612,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 1.2% during the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 19,598 shares of the company’s stock valued at $915,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Friday, November 28th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen cut British American Tobacco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday. Weiss Ratings upgraded British American Tobacco from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Friday, November 28th. 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 stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $51.00.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

British American Tobacco stock opened at $58.03 on Thursday. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 12 month low of $37.96 and a 12 month high of $63.22. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $59.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.87.

British American Tobacco Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.8349 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 29th. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.8%.

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.