BAT Cancels Latest Tranche of Shares in Ongoing Buyback

The latest announcement is out from British American Tobacco ( (GB:BATS) ).

British American Tobacco has repurchased 155,899 of its own ordinary shares on 31 March 2026 from Banco Santander as part of its ongoing share buyback programme. The company plans to cancel these shares, leaving 2,172,684,365 ordinary shares in issue with voting rights and 132,669,859 shares held in treasury, a move that marginally enhances earnings per share and may support shareholder value by reducing the free float.

The transaction, executed on the London Stock Exchange at a volume-weighted average price of 4,425.9262p per share, underscores the board’s continued commitment to capital returns alongside dividends. The updated share count also provides clarity for investors monitoring their disclosure thresholds under UK transparency rules, and signals management’s confidence in the group’s cash generation and balance sheet strength.

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 is a global consumer goods company and one of the world’s largest tobacco groups, best known for manufacturing and selling cigarettes and other nicotine products. Listed in London, it targets adult consumers worldwide with a portfolio spanning traditional tobacco and newer, reduced-risk products in both developed and emerging markets.

Average Trading Volume: 4,269,197

Technical Sentiment Signal: Strong Buy

Current Market Cap: £95.9B

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