Short Interest in British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) Grows By 33.2%

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) has seen a significant increase in short interest for the month of March. As of March 15th, the total short interest stood at 10,100,000 shares, marking a remarkable 33.2% rise from the 7,580,000 shares reported on February 28th. Currently, this short interest accounts for about 0.5% of the company’s total shares. Considering the average daily trading volume of 4,380,000 shares, the current days-to-cover ratio is approximately 2.3 days.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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Several analysts have recently commented on British American Tobacco's outlook. For instance, UBS Group upgraded the company's rating from neutral to buy on January 27th. Similarly, StockNews.com upgraded British American Tobacco from a hold rating to a buy rating in its report released on February 17th.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

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On Monday, BTI saw an increase of $0.85 in share price, reaching $41.36. The trading volume for the day was 6,398,892 shares, surpassing its average volume of 4,570,347 shares. The company’s 50-day moving average currently sits at $39.96, while the 200-day moving average is around $37.65. Over the past year, the stock has witnessed a low of $28.25 and a high of $42.74. British American Tobacco holds a market capitalization of $85.66 billion, a PE ratio of 8.49, and a beta of 0.50. Its financial ratios include a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.76, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

British American Tobacco Dividend Announcement

Recently, British American Tobacco announced a dividend that will be paid out on May 12th. Investors on record as of March 28th will receive a dividend of $0.7491 per share. The ex-dividend date is also noted to be March 28th. The company currently maintains a dividend payout ratio of 60.57%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On British American Tobacco

Institutional investors have been active in trading British American Tobacco shares recently. For instance, SRS Capital Advisors Inc. boosted their investment in the firm by 294.9% during the fourth quarter. After acquiring an additional 525 shares during that time, they now hold 703 shares valued at approximately $26,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. also made a new investment in the same quarter for about $26,000. Additionally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC, Versant Capital Management Inc., and Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. have made new stakes in British American Tobacco, contributing to a growing institutional ownership, which currently stands at 16.16% of the company’s stock.

About British American Tobacco

British American Tobacco p.l.c. is engaged in providing tobacco and nicotine products to consumers on a global scale. The company also offers a range of modern oral nicotine products as well as traditional tobacco products under various brand names including Vuse, glo, Velo, and many others.

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