BAT cancels latest tranche of share buyback, trimming share count

British American Tobacco ( (GB:BATS) ) has issued an update.

British American Tobacco has repurchased 121,677 ordinary shares from Banco Santander on 17 March 2026 under its existing buyback programme, paying a volume‑weighted average price of 4,565.8022 pence per share. The company intends to cancel these shares, reducing the free float to 2,173,381,395 voting shares and maintaining 132,976,327 shares in treasury, a move that marginally enhances earnings per share and signals continued capital returns to shareholders while meeting U.K. market disclosure requirements.

The most recent analyst rating on (GB:BATS) stock is a Hold with a £41.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on British American Tobacco stock, see the GB:BATS Stock Forecast page.

Spark’s Take on BATS Stock

According to Spark, TipRanks’ AI Analyst, BATS is a Outperform.

The score is driven primarily by solid-but-not-clean financial performance (profitability strength offset by leverage and a notable 2025 cash-flow decline). Valuation is supportive due to the high dividend yield and moderate P/E, while technicals are broadly neutral. Earnings-call guidance and capital-return plans help, but are tempered by vapor/illicit pressures and regional weakness.

To see Spark’s full report on BATS stock, click here.

More about British American Tobacco

British American Tobacco p.l.c. is a global tobacco group listed in London, producing and marketing cigarettes and other nicotine products. The company operates worldwide with a focus on both traditional combustible tobacco and newer categories, and is a constituent of major U.K. and international equity indices, making it a core holding for many institutional and retail investors.

Average Trading Volume: 4,610,483

Technical Sentiment Signal: Buy

Current Market Cap: £92.45B

Learn more about BATS stock on TipRanks’ Stock Analysis page.