Company Description
British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BTI) is a tobacco manufacturing company whose American Depositary Shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BTI and on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol BATS. The company is part of the manufacturing sector and is involved in the production and sale of tobacco and nicotine products. Its shares are also used as a financing vehicle in the U.S. capital markets, where British American Tobacco files reports as a foreign private issuer under Form 20-F and Form 6-K.
According to available information, British American Tobacco has described itself as a multi-category consumer goods business, with a portfolio that includes traditional combustible tobacco products as well as newer non-combustible products. The company has stated that its strategic portfolio covers global cigarette brands and a growing range of newer tobacco and nicotine products and traditional non-combustible tobacco products. These include vapour products, tobacco heating products, modern oral products such as tobacco-free nicotine pouches, and traditional oral products such as snus and moist snuff.
In the tobacco manufacturing industry, regulatory compliance and access to capital markets are central to how large issuers operate. British American Tobacco uses its listed debt and equity programmes to raise capital, as reflected in multiple Form 6-K filings that incorporate press releases, prospectuses and underwriting agreements. These filings show that BTI and its financing subsidiaries issue notes and other securities under shelf registration statements on Form F-3, with guarantees from various group entities.
British American Tobacco also discloses information on voting rights, share capital and transactions in its own shares through regular press releases that are furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Form 6-K. These communications cover topics such as voting rights and capital, share buyback programmes, transactions in its own shares, notifications of major holdings and changes in board or committee composition. This pattern of disclosure illustrates the company’s ongoing interaction with equity investors and the importance of capital structure management to its overall corporate strategy.
The company has also highlighted environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets in its public communications. It has stated ambitions related to carbon neutrality for certain emissions scopes and goals around plastic packaging, as well as growth targets for the number of adult consumers using its non-combustible products and revenue from what it calls New Categories. These statements are part of British American Tobacco’s description of its purpose to reduce the health impact of its business by offering a greater choice of products for adult consumers who would otherwise continue to use tobacco or nicotine.
British American Tobacco employs tens of thousands of people globally and operates through a group structure that includes financing and operating subsidiaries. Some of these subsidiaries, such as B.A.T Capital Corporation and B.A.T. Netherlands Finance B.V., appear in SEC filings as issuers or guarantors of registered securities. The parent company, British American Tobacco p.l.c., is headquartered in the United Kingdom and maintains its principal executive office in London.
For investors researching BTI stock, the company’s SEC filings and press releases provide insight into its capital allocation (including share buybacks and dividends), financing activities (such as notes offerings and tender offers for existing securities), and governance (board and committee changes, notifications of major holdings and transactions by persons discharging managerial responsibilities). These disclosures, combined with its sector classification as a tobacco manufacturer, frame British American Tobacco as a large, globally active issuer in the tobacco and nicotine products space.
Business focus and product categories
Based on the information provided, British American Tobacco’s strategic portfolio includes:
- Global cigarette brands in the traditional combustible segment.
- New Category products described as reduced-risk alternatives for adult consumers, including vapour products, tobacco heating products and modern oral products such as tobacco-free nicotine pouches.
- Traditional non-combustible oral products such as snus and moist snuff.
The company has indicated that its ambition is to grow the number of adult consumers of its non-combustible products and to increase revenue from these New Categories. It has also repeatedly stated that combustible cigarettes pose serious health risks and that the only way to avoid these risks is not to start or to quit, while encouraging those who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically substantiated alternatives, where permitted by regulation.
Capital markets activity and disclosures
British American Tobacco regularly furnishes Form 6-K reports to the SEC. These filings often include:
- Press releases on transactions in own shares and the operation or extension of share buyback programmes.
- Announcements on voting rights and capital, which inform investors about the number of shares in issue and associated voting rights.
- TR-1 notifications of major holdings, reflecting changes in significant shareholdings under applicable listing rules.
- Information about tender offers for perpetual subordinated securities and the pricing of new notes offerings, including related underwriting agreements and supplemental indentures.
- Notices about committee changes and board changes, which provide context on corporate governance.
Some 6-K filings explicitly state that certain exhibits are incorporated by reference into existing registration statements on Form F-3 or Form S-8. This practice allows British American Tobacco and its financing subsidiaries to update offering documents with current information about the group and its securities.
Partnerships and strategic investments
British American Tobacco has been referenced as a strategic partner and investor in other companies operating in adjacent categories. For example, it has been identified as the counterparty to a convertible debenture investment in Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc., a hemp-derived CBD wellness products company. It has also been described as the initial investor in a joint venture with Charlotte's Web and AJNA BioSciences PBC to pursue FDA approval for a novel botanical drug using proprietary hemp genetics, and as a strategic investor in Organigram Holdings Inc., a licensed producer of cannabis in Canada, through a wholly owned subsidiary.
These relationships indicate that British American Tobacco engages in partnerships and equity investments in companies involved in botanical wellness, CBD and cannabis-related products, with a focus on research, product development and potential geographic expansion in regulated markets. The company has described these activities as part of its broader exploration beyond traditional combustibles and its transformation into a multi-category consumer products business.
Regulatory and listing framework
British American Tobacco p.l.c. is subject to regulatory frameworks in multiple jurisdictions. Its disclosures reference UK Listing Rules, including notifications in accordance with specific provisions such as UK Listing Rule 6.4.9R(2). The company also complies with U.S. securities regulations applicable to foreign private issuers, filing annual reports on Form 20-F and furnishing current information on Form 6-K. Its American Depositary Shares provide U.S. investors with exposure to the company’s equity, while its registered debt securities are issued through group financing entities and guaranteed by the parent and other subsidiaries.
FAQs about British American Tobacco (BTI)
- What does British American Tobacco p.l.c. do?
British American Tobacco p.l.c. operates in the tobacco manufacturing industry. According to its public statements, its strategic portfolio includes global cigarette brands, vapour products, tobacco heating products, modern oral products such as tobacco-free nicotine pouches, and traditional oral products like snus and moist snuff.
- On which exchanges does BTI trade?
British American Tobacco p.l.c. is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol BATS. Its American Depositary Shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BTI.
- How does British American Tobacco describe its business purpose?
The company has stated that its purpose is to build what it calls A Better Tomorrow by reducing the health impact of its business. It aims to do this by offering a greater choice of tobacco and nicotine products for adult consumers, including non-combustible products it describes as reduced-risk alternatives for those who would otherwise continue to smoke.
- What types of products are in British American Tobacco’s New Categories?
In its public communications, British American Tobacco has identified New Category products that include vapour products, tobacco heating products and modern oral products such as tobacco-free nicotine pouches. These are positioned alongside its traditional combustible and non-combustible tobacco products.
- How does British American Tobacco use SEC filings?
British American Tobacco files an annual report on Form 20-F and furnishes current information on Form 6-K. These filings include press releases on share buybacks, voting rights and capital, major holdings notifications, notes offerings, tender offers and other corporate actions. Some 6-K exhibits are incorporated by reference into its registration statements on Form F-3 and Form S-8.
- Does British American Tobacco engage in share buybacks?
Yes. Multiple Form 6-K filings list press releases titled “Transaction in own shares,” “Share Buyback Programme” and “Extension of Share Buyback Programme,” indicating that British American Tobacco has undertaken share repurchase activities and has communicated these to investors.
- What is British American Tobacco’s involvement in CBD and cannabis-related businesses?
British American Tobacco, through subsidiaries, has made a convertible debenture investment in Charlotte's Web Holdings, Inc., and has invested in a joint venture with Charlotte's Web and AJNA BioSciences PBC to pursue FDA approval for a botanical drug using proprietary hemp genetics. It has also made a strategic equity investment in Organigram Holdings Inc., a licensed producer of cannabis in Canada.
- How does British American Tobacco address ESG topics?
In its public descriptions, British American Tobacco has referenced ESG-related targets, such as ambitions to achieve carbon neutrality for certain emissions scopes and to change its plastic packaging profile. It also links its New Category growth targets to its stated goal of reducing the health impact of its business.