British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) Short Interest Up 6.1% in November

British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 5,940,000 shares, a growth of 6.1% from the November 15th total of 5,600,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 4,550,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.3 days. Currently, 0.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

British American Tobacco Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of BTI traded down $0.34 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $37.31. The company had a trading volume of 3,852,440 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,712,658. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. British American Tobacco has a 52-week low of $28.25 and a 52-week high of $39.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $36.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.23. The firm has a market cap of $77.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.79 and a beta of 0.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of British American Tobacco from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating and set a $33.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. StockNews.com cut shares of British American Tobacco from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Barclays raised British American Tobacco to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc raised its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 1.7% during the second quarter. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc now owns 17,102 shares of the company’s stock valued at $529,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. First City Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of British American Tobacco by 2.8% during the third quarter. First City Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $398,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in British American Tobacco by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 3,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 314 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust lifted its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 21,211 shares of the company’s stock worth $776,000 after purchasing an additional 376 shares during the period. Finally, MADDEN SECURITIES Corp lifted its position in British American Tobacco by 1.3% during the third quarter. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp now owns 30,935 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. 16.16% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.