British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) Declares $0.83 Quarterly Dividend

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 29th will be paid a dividend of 0.8349 per share on Monday, February 8th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 29th.

British American Tobacco has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years. British American Tobacco has a dividend payout ratio of 66.9% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect British American Tobacco to earn $4.99 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.25 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 65.1%.

British American Tobacco Price Performance

BTI traded down $1.11 during trading on Friday, hitting $59.50. 6,743,153 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,761,636. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $55.84. British American Tobacco has a 1 year low of $37.31 and a 1 year high of $63.03.

Institutional Trading of British American Tobacco

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in British American Tobacco by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 64,389,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,645,500,000 after buying an additional 332,062 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 22,333,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,264,512,000 after acquiring an additional 264,511 shares during the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd boosted its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 20.7% during the 2nd quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 14,503,968 shares of the company’s stock worth $686,473,000 after purchasing an additional 2,482,737 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in British American Tobacco by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,518,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $538,935,000 after purchasing an additional 47,858 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in British American Tobacco by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 6,934,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $368,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,578,860 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.16% of the company’s stock.

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.