Topic: How To Invest

Q: Hi, Pat. Can I please get an analysis on British American Tobacco (BTI)? What is the outlook for the stock, and is the dividend safe? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: British American Tobacco plc (ADR), $40.20, symbol BTI on New York (ADRs outstanding: 2.3 billion; Market cap: $91.9 billion; www.bat.com), is one of the world’s leading consumer goods firms. The London, U.K.-based company manufactures, distributes and sells tobacco products, primarily cigarettes. It also produces tobacco heating, or vaping, products. Tobacco heating products use blended or processed tobacco, just like conventional cigarettes. They work by heating the tobacco to vaporize the nicotine and some other volatile compounds within. That creates an inhalable aerosol stream. The heat used is not high enough to burn the tobacco. As a result, the aerosol produced by vaping products may contain fewer toxicants (toxic substances), say manufacturers. They also assert that any toxicant produced through vaping will be at significantly lower concentrations than in cigarette smoke. However, the scientific evidence for these claims remains unclear. In July 2017, British American Tobacco acquired the remaining 58% stake of Reynolds American that it didn’t already own for $49.4 billion…