British American Tobacco (LON:BATS) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (LON:BATS - Get Free Report) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Monday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 2,766.01 ($33.85) and traded as high as GBX 2,963 ($36.26). British American Tobacco shares last traded at GBX 2,877.16 ($35.21), with a volume of 3,963,044 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and issued a GBX 2,800 ($34.26) price objective on shares of British American Tobacco in a report on Thursday, December 12th.

British American Tobacco Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 74.14, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The stock's 50-day moving average is GBX 2,897.46 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 2,766.01. The stock has a market cap of £64.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -468.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.27.

British American Tobacco Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 19th will be given a dividend of GBX 58.88 ($0.72) per share. This is an increase from British American Tobacco's previous dividend of $57.72. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 19th. This represents a yield of 2.54%. British American Tobacco's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -3,794.21%.

Insider Transactions at British American Tobacco

In other British American Tobacco news, insider Tadeu Marroco bought 48 shares of British American Tobacco stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 2,716 ($33.24) per share, for a total transaction of £1,303.68 ($1,595.30). Insiders have acquired 63 shares of company stock worth $173,913 over the last quarter. 10.55% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.