Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-07-24 · Permanent

British American Tobacco p.l.c. logoBritish American Tobacco p.l.c. BTI

Outside both standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · British American Tobacco p.l.c.

The label
Markup

read at $60.96

British American Tobacco p.l.c. holds its Markup at $60.96.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-07-24
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateConsolidating, no directional conviction, held for 11 days
Price$60.96
Valuation13.05 trailing · 11.65 forward price to earnings
Values screenFAIL · score 10.0
Beta0.13

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Our framework reads AVOID — it trades at roughly a 21% discount to our $73.50 fair value, moderate competitive moat, 0.10% revenue growth.

Read at
$60.96
13.05 P/E · 11.65 fwd
Our fair value
$73.50
21% discount
Analyst target (avg)
$72.00
+18% to current
Target low $58.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $73.50
▲ current $60.96 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$77.3$49.6$22.0TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONOur fair value$73.50 +20%Analyst high$73.50 +20%Analyst avg$72.00 +18%Conservative$64.39 +5%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$60.96
you are here
Conservative
$64.39
+6%
Analyst avg
$72.00
+18%
Our fair value
$73.50
+21%
Analyst high
$73.50
+21%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.

Revenue growth0.10%
Profit margin30.32%
Debt to equity72.84
Analyst consensusStrong Buy · 5 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✗ DOES NOT PASS

Why it fails. The problem is its business activity. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Prohibited sector: tobacco Fail
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is just 0.0% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling — it does not run on borrowed money. Pass
  • Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is 0.0% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
  • Revenue purity Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Tobacco Cash Keeps Flowing But We Pass

Millions still reach for a cigarette each morning and British American Tobacco collects the steady profits from those habits. Yet the ethical screen flags the core business activity outright, so we pass on the name even though forward earnings sit at 12 times and margins reach 30 percent.

Revenue has flatlined at zero growth while return on equity holds at 16 percent and the moat looks only moderate. Analyst targets cluster near fair value but none of that shifts the verdict once the screen has spoken.

Volume pressure from regulation and changing habits will keep testing the model for years ahead. This is exactly what the screen is for. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E11.7x
expensive even after accounting for its growth
Trailing P/E13.1x
reasonably valued
Revenue growth0.1%
slow but positive growth
Profit margin30.3%
highly profitable on every dollar of sales
Return on equity15.8%
a solid return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity0.73
moderate, manageable leverage
Current ratio0.87
below 1 — short-term bills exceed liquid assets
Beta0.13
barely tracks the market's swings
Market cap$131.5B
Employees47,797

The risks · The things to watch: its business and earnings are exposed to United Kingdom and to currency swings.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Latest news · what the market is reading on BTI

Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference — not our reporting, not advice.

Related securities · others in BTI's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

BTI trades on the NYSE (the company is based in United Kingdom). As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 5.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 16% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 36%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 27%. The street (5 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $67. Entered 2026-07-23 · Markup

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-23 Markup $62.84 +5.2% Entry 4

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 5.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 16% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 36%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 27%. The street (5 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $67.

2026-07-18 Markup $59.72 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 16% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 36%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 27%. The street (5 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $67.

2026-07-03 Markup $59.72 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Markup $59.72 Entry 1

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed

Most recent filings · BTI
DateInsiderTitleTypeSharesValue
2026-02-11 Anand (Kandy) · ·
2026-02-11 Jobin (Luc) · ·
2026-02-11 Kessler (Murray S) · ·
2026-02-11 Thomas (Darrell) · ·
2025-12-31 Thomas (Darrell) · ·
2025-12-31 Anand (Kandy) · ·
2025-12-31 Jobin (Luc) · ·
2025-12-31 Kessler (Murray S) · ·
2025-04-23 Spring Mountain Investments, Ltd. 5,554,433 ·
2025-04-17 Spring Mountain Investments, Ltd. · ·

Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $60.44 +1.0% · $1,010 +1.0%
2 months $58.81 +3.8% · $1,038 +3.8%
3 months $59.03 +3.5% $0.84 $1,049 +4.9%
6 months $56.78 +7.6% $1.58 $1,103 +10.3%
1 year $44.83 +36.2% $3.08 $1,431 +43.1%
2 years $26.70 +128.8% $6.06 $2,515 +151.5%
3 years $25.80 +136.8% $8.91 $2,713 +171.3%
5 years $27.28 +123.9% $14.81 $2,782 +178.2%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever BTI does next, these words stay.

British American Tobacco p.l.c. · BTI · Markup · $60.96
Recorded 2026-07-24 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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