LPL Financial LLC Sells 383,863 Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI)

LPL Financial LLC lessened its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) by 34.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 739,411 shares of the company’s stock after selling 383,863 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $26,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 294.9% in the fourth quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 525 shares during the period. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in British American Tobacco during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in British American Tobacco in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 334.4% during the 4th quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 846 shares during the period. Finally, ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 35.1% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 16.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on BTI. StockNews.com upgraded British American Tobacco from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 17th. UBS Group upgraded British American Tobacco from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

NYSE BTI opened at $40.53 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $83.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.32 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a twelve month low of $28.25 and a twelve month high of $42.74. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.65.

British American Tobacco Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 12th. Investors of record on Friday, March 28th will be given a dividend of $0.7491 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 28th. British American Tobacco’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.57%.

About British American Tobacco

British American Tobacco p.l.c. engages in the provision of tobacco and nicotine products to consumers worldwide. It also offers vapour, heated, and modern oral nicotine products; combustible cigarettes; and traditional oral products, such as snus and moist snuff. The company offers its products under the Vuse, glo, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans, Camel, Natural American Spirit, Newport, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Peter Stuyvesant, Craven A, State Express 555 and Shuang Xi brands.