British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as GBX 3,237 ($40.26) and last traded at GBX 3,232 ($40.19), with a volume of 18710934 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 3,220 ($40.04).

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a GBX 2,800 ($34.82) price target on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Thursday, December 12th.

British American Tobacco Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average price is GBX 2,981.04 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 2,835.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 74.14. The company has a market cap of £73.90 billion, a PE ratio of -537.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.27.

British American Tobacco Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 19th were issued a GBX 58.88 ($0.73) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 19th. This represents a yield of 2.54%. This is a positive change from British American Tobacco’s previous dividend of $57.72. British American Tobacco’s payout ratio is currently -3,794.21%.

About British American Tobacco

BAT was founded in 1902 and was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1912. A constituent of the FTSE 100 since its creation in 1984, we have evolved, becoming the only truly global company in our sector.

BAT is transforming and is well positioned with a global footprint and multi-category portfolio.