BAT(BTI) The Motley Fool·2025-05-02 08:50Core Viewpoint - The stock market in 2025 has shifted towards value stocks, with British American Tobacco (BTI) showing resilience and a year-to-date increase of 17% in U.S. dollar terms, outperforming broader market indices [1][2]. Financial Performance - British American Tobacco offers a dividend yield of 7%, significantly higher than the market average, with potential for continued growth in dividend payouts [2]. - The company has maintained healthy free cash flow generation, exceeding 11.9 billion generated last year and an expected cumulative free cash flow of 6 billion in revenue last year [6][7]. Growth Opportunities - The smokeless segment has grown significantly, contributing billions in revenue annually, which is expected to offset declines in cigarette volumes and support free cash flow [8]. - The Vuse brand faces competitive pressure from illicit disposable vaping devices, but potential regulatory crackdowns could facilitate a return to growth for Vuse [7]. Capital Management - British American Tobacco has utilized its free cash flow to pay down debt and engage in share repurchases, reducing shares outstanding by 3.4% over the last four years, which aids in growing the dividend per share [11]. - The company is positioned to sustainably grow its dividend per share due to ample free cash flow accumulation [10][11].