Three FTSE 100 Market Movers  – British American Tobacco Plc, Kingfisher Plc and Hiscox Limited

British American Tobacco Plc

British American Tobacco Plc (LON:BATS), based in London, the United Kingdom, is one of the world’s biggest consumer goods company, which engages in the manufacturing and selling of tobacco and tobacco-based products. The company’s major category of products includes Cigarettes as well as some potentially reduced-risk products, like e-vapes and e-cigarettes. The company’s products are unique in the way of its innovation like its cigarettes which includes latest kind of tube filters allowing the person to change the taste of their cigarette. The company’s biggest brands include the likes of Dunhill, which is also one of the biggest tobacco brands in the world and is sold worldwide, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall as well as Rothmans.

BATS Latest News

On 21^st November 2019, it was reported in the United States that US regulatory authorities like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have decided not to proceed with their strategy to force companies selling tobacco to reduce the volume of nicotine in cigarettes. This idea was announced by the US Department of Health and Human Services around a couple of years back, but as per various news sources, for the time being, has been put on hold. If the authorities had gone ahead with the plan, it would have reduced the Tobacco sales in the United States of America steeply and would have negatively affected British American Tobacco Plc. Another positive for the company, could be the rumour in media that the US authorities were temporarily going back from their idea to ban flavoured electronic tobacco products such as vapes and E-cigarettes.

BATS Share Price Performance

Daily Chart as at 22-November-19, before the market close (Source: Thomson Reuters)

On 22^nd November 2019, at 08:30 A.M GMT, British American Tobacco Plc’s share price has been reported to be trading at GBX 2971.50 per share. The British American Tobacco Plc share was reported to be trading 32.13 per cent above the 52-week low share price, which was at GBX 2249.00 per share, that the company’s shares reached on May 17, 2019. At the present price, the share was also 7.77 per cent below the 52-week high price at GBX 3222.00 per share, which the company’s share achieved on April 01, 2019. British American Tobacco Plc’s Market capitalisation (M-Cap) has been reported to be at GBP 68.161 billion.

At the time of reporting, 194,820 million of the company’s shares had been traded in the market. The company’s share has given a positive return of 11.29 per cent in value in the last one year, from the price of GBX 2670.00 per share that the shares achieved on November 22, 2018. The British American Tobacco Plc share has also given a negative return in the last six months in the value of around 0.39 per cent from the share price of GBX 2983.00 per share the company’s share achieved on May 22, 2019. British American Tobacco Plc’s share has also gone up by 11.38 per cent in value in the last one month from the price of GBX 2668.00 per share that the shares closed at on October 22, 2019.

The beta of the British American Tobacco Plc’s share was reported to be at 1.4092. From this, it can be inferred that the company’s share price is more volatile, as compared to the benchmark market index’s movement.

Kingfisher Plc

Kingfisher Plc (LON:KGF) is a British international retailing organisation which offers DIY (do-it-yourself) and home improvement items and services in 10 nations across Europe, Russia and Turkey through more than 1,300 stores, under different brands like B&Q and Castorama etc. The activities of the company are separated in four demographic sections- UK and Ireland, France, Poland and Other Geographical Locations. The company has around 1326 stores and serves approximately 6 million people in all its locations.

KGF Trading Update

On 20^th November 2019, the company published a trading update for the third quarter of the year, in which it reported that the total group sales stood at £2.955 billion, a majority of which came from the UK and Ireland region where the sales were reported to be at a growth of 0.4 per cent to £1.297 billion. The total group sales were reported to be down by around 3.1 per cent, the decline in constant currency was of 3.2 per cent. The company also presented a Sales outlook for the remainder of the year in which it reported that they anticipate a softer market backdrop for the UK region. The company’s expectation around the full-year gross margin, post clearance is that it shall be flatlined as compared to the previous year.

KGF Share Price Performance

Daily Chart as at 22-November-19, before the market close (Source: Thomson Reuters)

On 22^nd November 2019, at 08:38 A.M GMT, Kingfisher Plc’s share price has been reported to be trading at GBX 196.40 per share, a decrease of 0.56 per cent or GBX 1.1 per share as compared to the previous day’s closing price, which was reported to be at GBX 197.50 per share. At the time of writing, the Kingfisher Plc share was reported to be trading 5.65 per cent above the 52-week low share price, which was at GBX 185.90 per share, that the company’s shares reached on October 10, 2019. At the present price, the company’s share was also trading 26.77 per cent below the 52-week high price at GBX 268.20 per share, which the company’s share achieved on April 29, 2019. Kingfisher Plc’s Market capitalisation (M-Cap) has been reported to be at GBP 4.167 billion.

At the time of writing, 594,150 of the company’s shares had been traded in the market. The company’s share has given a negative return of 16.96 per cent in value in the last one year, from the price of GBX 236.50 per share achieved on November 22, 2018. The Kingfisher Plc share has also given a negative return in the last six months of around 9.62 per cent from the share price of GBX 217.3 per share the company’s share achieved on May 22, 2019. Kingfisher Plc’s share has also gone down by 9.49 per cent in the last one month from the price of GBX 217.00 that the share closed at on October 22, 2019.

The beta of the Kingfisher Plc’s share was reported to be at 0.8723. From this, it can be inferred that the company’s share price movement is less volatile in its trajectory, as compared to the benchmark market index’s movement.

Hiscox Limited

Hiscox Limited (LON:HSX) is a global insurance group based in Bermuda. The group is known for its robust brand outlook across the world. The organisation is currently working in around 14 nations and has 34 office locations with an employee base of more than 3,300 experts. The organisation, through its subsidiaries, works in geographically unique regions such as in the United States, Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom and Bermuda. The organisation's business has been separated into four reportable segments being Hiscox London Market, Hiscox Re, Hiscox Retail and Corporate Centre. The Retail business contains the Hiscox United Kingdom and Ireland, Hiscox International and Hiscox Europe.

HSX Latest News

On 21^st November 2019, a few media sources reported about an extensive study, around the Global Engineering Liability Insurance market strategy of the leading companies. The report analysed the company’s market strategy by using various tools such as Porter’s Value Chain, Porter’s Five forces and SWOT Analysis and has given an outlook based on the Balanced scorecard method as well as the supply chain analysis. Hiscox Limited was a part of the study and was termed as one of the biggest market players in the industry, in terms of the Product Sales volume market share.

HSX Share Price Performance

Daily Chart as at 22-November-19, before the market close (Source: Thomson Reuters)

On 22^nd November 2019, at 08:45 A.M GMT, Hiscox Limited’s share price has been reported to be trading at GBX 1296.00 per share, an increase of 1.65 per cent or GBX 21.00 per share as compared to the previous day’s closing price, which was reported to be at GBX 1275.00 per share. The Hiscox Limited share was reported to be trading 13.68 per cent above the 52-week low share price, which was at GBX 1140.00 per share, that the company’s shares reached on November 07, 2019. At the present price, the company’s share was also trading 27.80 per cent below the 52-week high price at GBX 1795.00 per share, which the company’s share achieved on July 05, 2019. Hiscox Limited’s Market capitalisation (M-Cap) has been reported to be at GBP 3.678 billion.

At the time of writing, 92,920 of the company’s shares had been traded in the market. The company’s share has given a negative return of 21.45 per cent in value in the last one year, from the price of GBX 1650.00 per share that the shares achieved on November 22, 2018. The Hiscox Limited share has also given a negative return in the last six months of around 22.49 per cent from the price of GBX 1672.00 per share the company’s share achieved on May 22, 2019. Hiscox Limited’s share has also gone down by 14.96 per cent in the last one month from the price of GBX 1524.00 that the share closed at on October 22, 2019.

The beta of the Hiscox Limited’s share was reported to be at 0.50. From this, it can be inferred that the company’s share price movement is less volatile in its trajectory, as compared to the benchmark market index’s movement.