Meet Samuel – Your Personal Investing Prophet
- Start a conversation with TipRanks’ trusted, data-backed investment intelligence
- Ask Samuel about stocks, your portfolio, or the market and get instant, personalized insights in seconds
British American Tobacco ( (GB:BATS) ) has shared an announcement.
British American Tobacco has repurchased 260,511 of its 25 pence ordinary shares on the London Stock Exchange between 23 and 24 April 2026 under its ongoing share buyback programme authorised by shareholders. The company plans to cancel these shares, reducing the free-float to about 2.17 billion voting shares and increasing treasury holdings to roughly 132.7 million, a capital-management move that tightens share supply and may support earnings per share and shareholder value.
The transactions, executed through Merrill Lynch International at volume-weighted average prices of 4,200.84p and 4,329.77p, reflect BAT’s continued use of surplus capital to return funds to investors. The updated share count also affects investors’ disclosure thresholds under U.K. transparency rules, requiring some shareholders to reassess whether they must notify changes in their holdings.
The most recent analyst rating on (GB:BATS) stock is a Buy with a £4900.00 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 and nicotine company whose primary products include traditional cigarettes and newer non-combustible alternatives. Listed in London, it targets adult consumers worldwide and is a major constituent of the international tobacco industry, where capital returns via dividends and share buybacks are a key part of its investment proposition.
Average Trading Volume: 4,650,560
Technical Sentiment Signal: Strong Buy
Current Market Cap: £93.11B
For detailed information about BATS stock, go to TipRanks’ Stock Analysis page.