British American Tobacco Accelerates New Category Growth, Reaffirms FY Guidance
BTI sits 35% above its 52-week low of $45.04.
Summary
British American Tobacco provided a trading update, reaffirming its full-year guidance and upgrading its New Category revenue growth expectations to mid-teens for H1 and FY 2026.
Key Events · Financing and Capital Events · BTI
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New Category Revenue Growth Upgraded
The company now expects mid-teens revenue growth for New Categories in H1 and FY 2026, an upgrade from previous low double-digit expectations.
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Full-Year Guidance Reaffirmed
British American Tobacco remains on track to deliver its mid-term algorithm, with 2026 performance expected at the lower end of the 3-5% revenue, 4-6% APFO, and 5-8% adjusted diluted EPS growth ranges.
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Strong U.S. Performance
The company reports robust revenue and profit growth in the U.S., driven by combustibles, Vapour, and Modern Oral products.
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Leverage Target and Buyback Confirmed
British American Tobacco is on track to reduce leverage to within 2.0-2.5x by year-end and confirms the £1.3 billion share buyback program for 2026.
Analysis · BTI · Manufacturing
This filing provides a comprehensive update on British American Tobacco's performance, highlighting accelerating growth in its strategic New Categories, particularly Modern Oral and Vapour. The upgrade in New Category revenue guidance to mid-teens for the full year, coupled with strong U.S. performance and an improved outlook for net finance costs, reinforces the company's ability to meet its overall financial targets. While the global cigarette volume forecast is slightly weaker and profit delivery is H2 weighted, the overall message is one of steady progress and confidence in strategic execution.
At the time of this filing, BTI was trading at $60.90 on NYSE in the Manufacturing sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $141.4B. The 52-week trading range was $45.04 to $67.30. This filing was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10.