FTSE 100 news / Companies and sectors / British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco news analysis
British American Tobacco (LSE: BATS) is in the FTSE 100. 20 of the last 21 days had relevant coverage.
Latest: Tuesday 20 October 2026
+2.0 from 5 relevant stories. Coverage was mixed: Jefferies raised its price target and a buyback was launched, but there were worries about another generational tobacco ban in Europe and claims that tobacco firms exaggerate the illegal market. A technical outlook pointed to consolidation.
Tone over time
Coverage of British American Tobacco held broadly steady between 30 September 2026 and 20 October 2026
Daily news tone, from −10 (clearly bad) to +10 (clearly good). Gaps are days with no relevant stories.
Tone was flat at about 2 between 30 Sep and 20 Oct. Its low was 1 in 18 Oct.
- 11
- 22
- 33
1 day of 20 had fewer than 3 relevant stories, so that point is thin evidence. Numbered markers are the days with the strongest single headline (key below). This is the tone of coverage, not a share price.Source: MarketFrame news analysis
| day | Tone |
|---|---|
| 30 Sep | 2 |
| 1 Oct | 6 |
| 2 Oct | 2 |
| 3 Oct | 5 |
| 4 Oct | 6 |
| 5 Oct | 5 |
| 6 Oct | 1 |
| 7 Oct | 9 |
| 8 Oct | 3 |
| 9 Oct | 5 |
| 10 Oct | 3 |
| 11 Oct | – |
| 12 Oct | 3 |
| 13 Oct | 1 |
| 14 Oct | 3 |
| 15 Oct | 5 |
| 16 Oct | 2 |
| 17 Oct | 2 |
| 18 Oct | 1 |
| 19 Oct | 2 |
| 20 Oct | 2 |
Day by day
| Day | Tone | Stories | What the coverage was about |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 20 October 2026 | +2.0 | 5 | Coverage was mixed: Jefferies raised its price target and a buyback was launched, but there were worries about another generational tobacco ban in Europe and claims that tobacco firms exaggerate the illegal market. |
| Monday 19 October 2026 | +2.3 | 3 | Coverage was light, led by BAT Kenya reporting 5 percent revenue growth. |
| Sunday 18 October 2026 | +0.5 | 2 | Coverage was thin, with a report on BAT's buyback arrangement running to December and a story on a Reynolds American affiliate donating to the White House ballroom project. |
| Saturday 17 October 2026 | +2.0 | 9 | Coverage was split between a share price rise, helped by a Jefferies target increase and buyback interest, and negative stories about leaked documents on cigarette smuggling and the closure of the South African plant. |
| Friday 16 October 2026 | +2.3 | 9 | Coverage was mixed, with director share purchases and a share price rise giving a positive tone. |
| Thursday 15 October 2026 | +4.5 | 9 | Coverage was mostly about the share price rising, with a five-day winning streak and Jefferies raising its price target. |
| Wednesday 14 October 2026 | +2.8 | 4 | Coverage was mixed but mildly positive, with BAT shares gaining as investors sought defensive stocks and revenue reported up 1.40 percent. |
| Tuesday 13 October 2026 | +1.2 | 7 | Coverage was mostly share price updates and buyback mentions, with one piece saying rate anxiety was lifting the stock. |
| Monday 12 October 2026 | +2.8 | 3 | Coverage was mainly a Supreme Court trade mark ruling in a dispute involving BAT, which appears to favour the company, alongside a neutral week-ahead preview and a piece on the legal cigarette trade in Sri Lanka involving its local unit. |
| Sunday 11 October 2026 | – | 0 | |
| Saturday 10 October 2026 | +3.3 | 5 | Coverage was mixed but leaned mildly positive, led by Jefferies raising its price target and the promotion of Vuse and VELO products by Reynolds. |
| Friday 9 October 2026 | +5.0 | 8 | Coverage was mostly positive, centred on the extended share buyback, a rising share price and Deutsche Bank reaffirming its Buy rating. |
| Thursday 8 October 2026 | +2.8 | 7 | Coverage mainly focused on BAT's share price moves and its share buyback programme, with a bank appointed to run repurchases and a recent 1.6% rise. |
| Wednesday 7 October 2026 | +8.7 | 5 | Coverage focused on BAT's Horizon 2030 targets, a higher Jefferies price target and a Buy rating, alongside a bullish take on Velo. |
| Tuesday 6 October 2026 | +1.3 | 10 | Coverage was mixed: a Jefferies target increase and dividend yield appeal were offset by cautious guidance, a muted strategy day and a Nigerian court damages order. |
| Monday 5 October 2026 | +4.5 | 5 | Coverage leaned positive, with Reynolds and smokeless nicotine products driving growth and the share price following the Horizon 2030 plans. |
| Sunday 4 October 2026 | +6.3 | 5 | Coverage was mostly supportive, led by Deutsche Bank reaffirming its Buy rating and BAT reaffirming its 2026 outlook. |
| Saturday 3 October 2026 | +5.2 | 6 | Coverage centred on the company's 2030 targets and supportive analyst views, including a reiterated Buy from Deutsche Bank and a Moderate Buy consensus. |
| Friday 2 October 2026 | +2.0 | 15 | Coverage centred on the share price weakness after the capital markets day and updated growth strategy, with Bank of America seeing limited implications for consensus. |
| Thursday 1 October 2026 | +6.3 | 10 | Coverage centred on BAT's Capital Markets Day, with 2030 smokeless growth and cash flow targets and Jefferies reiterating its Buy rating. |
| Wednesday 30 September 2026 | +2.0 | 20 | Coverage focused on the Horizon 2030 strategy from the Capital Markets Day, with its emphasis on Modern Oral, smokeless growth and a 3%-5% target, which was received positively. |
Sector: Consumer staples