| Thu 31 Jul 2025, 8:00 | | BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO PLC - Half-Year Report for the six months to 30 June 2025 |
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Half-Year Report for the six months to 30 June 2025
British American Tobacco p.l.c.
Incorporated in England and Wales
(Registration number: 03407696)
Short name: BATS
Share code: BTI
ISIN number: GB0002875804
British American Tobacco p.l.c. (the "Company")
31 July 2025 – Press Release/Interim Results
British American Tobacco p.l.c.
Half-Year Report for the six months to 30 June 2025
On Track for Full-Year Guidance led by the U.S. and Velo's global growth
Half-Year Summary
– Revenue down 2.2% (due to currency headwinds), up 1.8% at constant FX, driven by a return to growth in the U.S. (led by
combustibles and Velo Plus), continued growth in AME, partly offset by APMEA
– New Categories revenue in line with 2024 at £1,651 million - an increase of 2.4% at constant FX
– Smokeless products now 18.2% of Group revenue, up 70 bps vs FY24
– Phased roll-out of innovations is expected to drive an accelerated H2 New Category performance
– New Categories contribution margin increased by 2.8 ppts to 10.6% at constant FX
– Improved combustibles financial performance (at constant FX), driven by price/mix
– Reported profit from operations up 19.1% (with reported operating margin up 7.5 ppts to 42.0%), partly due to the update of
the Canadian settlement provision while the prior year was negatively impacted by non-repeating impairment charges
– Adjusted profit from operations (as adjusted for Canada) up 1.9% at constant FX, adjusted operating margin (as adjusted for
Canada and at constant FX) flat at 43.2%
– Reported diluted EPS up 1.6% to 203.6p, with adjusted diluted EPS (as adjusted for Canada) up 1.7% at constant FX
– Increased 2025 share buy-back programme by £200 million to £1.1 billion
Tadeu Marroco, Chief Executive
"Our H1 performance is slightly ahead of expectations. 2025 is a deployment year and we are firmly on track to deliver our FY
guidance.
We added 1.4 million consumers (to 30.5 million) of our smokeless brands. Our smokeless portfolio now accounts for 18.2% of Group
revenue, an increase of 70 bps vs FY24.
I am very pleased with our performance in the U.S. Revenue and profit are both up for the first time since 2022 and, alongside the
successful launch of Velo Plus, our combustibles volume and value share performance have returned to growth. AME continued to
perform strongly, while our performance in APMEA has been impacted by fiscal and regulatory challenges in Bangladesh and
Australia.
Velo continues to go from strength-to-strength in the fastest growing New Category. Our Quality Growth focus, prioritising investment
in the largest profit pools, delivered higher returns, with New Category contribution up 38.6% at £179 million at constant FX, and
further improvement expected for the FY.
Our continued strong cash conversion and the recent partial monetisation of our ITC stake has enhanced our capital flexibility, whilst
further financial discipline will drive additional cost savings and smart re-investment.
I am confident that the investments we have made and actions we are taking, will drive a return to our mid-term algorithm in 2026.
Alongside rewarding shareholders through strong cash returns, I am committed to delivering sustainable value for our shareholders."
Summary Information
Adjusted for
Performance highlights Reported Adjusted2
Canada3
For six months to 30 June 2025 Current vs 2024 Current vs 2024 vs 2024
rates (current) rates (constant) (constant)
Cigarette and HP volume share -20 bps
Cigarette and HP value share -10 bps
Consumers of smokeless products1 30.5m +1.4m
Revenue (£m) £12,069m -2.2% £12,069m +1.8% +1.8%
Revenue from New Categories (£m) £1,651m flat £1,651m +2.4% +2.4%
Smokeless revenue as % of total revenue (%)4 18.2% +70 bps
Profit from operations (£m) £5,069m +19.1% £5,394m +0.6% +1.9%
Adjusted gross profit growth (%) -1.6% +2.1% +3.0%
Category contribution - New Categories (£m) £174m +38.6% +38.6%
Category contribution margin - New Categories (%) 10.6% +2.8 ppts +2.8 ppts
Operating margin (%) 42.0% +7.5 ppts 44.7% -60 bps flat
Diluted EPS (pence) 203.6p +1.6% 162.0p -0.1% +1.7%
Net cash generated from operating activities (£m) £2,309m -27.0%
Free cash pre-dividend (£m) £1,234m -42.1%
Adjusted cash generated from operations (£m) £1,483m -32.3%
Cash conversion (%) 45.6% -28.7 ppts 74.6% -4.5 ppts
Borrowings including lease liabilities (£m) £35,208m -12.3%
Adjusted net debt (£m) £29,749m -5.1%
The use of non-GAAP measures, including adjusting items and constant currencies, are further discussed from page 49, with reconciliation from the most comparable IFRS measure provided.
Notes:
1. Internal estimate. 2. See page 25 for discussion on adjusting items. 3. As adjusted for Canada excludes the performance of the Canadian business (excluding New Categories) given the requirement to use the
profits earned to settle the litigation liability - see page 13. There is no adjustment to revenue. 4. Movement in smokeless revenue as a % of total revenue compared to full year 2024.
On Track for Full-Year 2025 Guidance
– Global tobacco industry volume expected to be down c.2%.
– Revenue growth at the top end of 1.0-2.0% guidance range*, with mid-single digit New Category revenue growth*.
– 1.5-2.5% adjusted profit from operations growth (adj. for Canada)* including an expected c.1.0-1.5% transactional FX headwind.
– We expect a translational FX headwind of c.4% on adjusted profit from operations (adj. for Canada).
– Net finance costs expected to be c.£1.8 billion (adj. for Canada)*, subject to interest rate volatility.
– Gross capital expenditure in 2025 of approximately £650 million.
– Operating cash flow conversion conversion that exceeds 90%.
– Continue to deleverage to our 2.0-2.5x adjusted net debt/adjusted EBITDA (adj. for Canada)* corridor by 2026.
–
Commitment to dividend growth in sterling terms and £1.1 billion share buy-back.
* at constant rates of exchange
Other Information
Dividends
On 13 February 2025, the Board declared an interim dividend of 240.24p per ordinary share of 25p, for the year ended 31 December 2024, payable in
four equal quarterly instalments of 60.06p per ordinary share in May 2025, August 2025, November 2025 and February 2026. The May 2025
quarterly dividend was paid to shareholders on the UK main register and South Africa branch register on 7 May 2025 and to holders of American
Depositary Shares (ADSs) on 12 May 2025.
The key dividend dates set out in the announcement published on 13 February 2025 relating to the three remaining quarterly dividend payments
remain unchanged.
SHORT-FORM ANNOUNCEMENT
This short-form announcement is the responsibility of the Directors of the Company. It is only a summary of the information contained in the full Half-Year
Report to 30 June 2025 (the "Results Announcement") and does not contain full or complete details. Any investment decisions should be based on
consideration of the full Results Announcement available via the JSE at https://senspdf.jse.co.za/documents/2025/JSE/ISSE/BTI/BATHY25.pdf and on the
Company's website at www.bat.com. Copies of the full Results Announcement may also be obtained during normal business hours from the Company's
registered office and the Company's representative office in South Africa. Contact details are set out below.
Corporate information
British American Tobacco p.l.c. is a public limited company which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and the JSE Limited in South
Africa. British American Tobacco p.l.c. is incorporated in England and Wales (No. 3407696) and domiciled in the UK.
Registered office
Globe House, 4 Temple Place, London, WC2R 2PG, UK
tel: +44 20 7845 1000
Primary listing
London Stock Exchange (Share Code: BATS; ISIN: GB0002875804)
Computershare Investor Services PLC
The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road, Bristol BS99 6ZZ, UK
tel: 0800 408 0094; +44 370 889 3159
Your account: www.computershare.com/uk/investor/bri
Share dealing: www.computershare.com/dealing/uk
Web-based enquiries: www.investorcentre.co.uk/contactus
Secondary listing
JSE Limited (Share Code: BTI)
Shares are traded in electronic form only and transactions are settled electronically through Strate.
Computershare Investor Services Proprietary Limited
Private Bag X9000, Saxonwold 2132, South Africa
tel: 0861 100 634; +27 11 870 8216
email enquiries: web.queries@computershare.co.za
Sponsor for the purpose of the JSE listing
Merrill Lynch South Africa (Pty) Ltd t/a BofA Securities
Representative office in South Africa
Waterway House South
No 3 Dock Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
PO Box 631, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
tel: +27 21 003 6712
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)
NYSE (Symbol: BTI; CUSIP Number: 110448107)
BAT's shares are listed on the NYSE in the form of American Depositary Shares (ADSs) and these are evidenced by American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), each
one of which represents one ordinary share of British American Tobacco p.l.c. Citibank, N.A. is the depositary bank for the sponsored ADR programme.
Citibank Shareholder Services
PO Box 43077, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-3077, USA
tel: +1 888 985 2055 (toll-free) or +1 781 575 4555
email enquiries: citibank@shareholders-online.com
website: www.citi.com/dr
Publications
British American Tobacco Publications
Unit 80, London Industrial Park, Roding Road, London E6 6LS, UK
tel: +44 20 7511 7797
e-mail enquiries: bat@team365.co.uk
If you require publications and are located in South Africa, please contact the Company's representative office in South Africa using the contact details shown
above.
Enquiries
For more information, please contact
Investor Relations: Press Office:
Victoria Buxton +44 (0)20 7845 2012 +44 (0)20 7845 2888 | @BATplc
Amy Chamberlain +44 (0)20 7845 1124 BAT Media Team
John Harney+44 (0)20 7845 1263
BAT IR TeamIR_Team@bat.com
Webcast and Q&A session:
BAT will hold a live webcast for investors and analysts at 9.30am (BST) on 31 July 2025, hosted by Tadeu Marroco, Chief Executive, and Soraya
Benchikh, Chief Financial Officer. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
The webcast and presentation slides will be available to view on our website at www.bat.com/latestresults.
If you prefer to listen via conference call, please use the following dial-in details (participant passcode: BAT - HY25).
Standard International: +44 (0) 20 3147 4669 SA (toll free): 0 800 981 672
UK (toll free): 0808 238 9062 U.S. (toll free): + 1 877 269 7600
Video: Chief Executive and CFO's take on Half-Year 2025 Results: To watch highlights of this year's results, please visit: www.bat.com/highlights-video-hy25
Forward-looking statements and other matters
This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements, including "forward-looking" statements made within the meaning of the U.S. Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
In particular, these forward-looking statements include, among other statements, statements regarding the Group's future financial performance, planned
product launches and future regulatory developments and business objectives (including with respect to sustainability and other environmental, social and
governance matters), as well as: (i) certain statements in the Half-Year Summary and in the Chief Executive statement (both on page 1), including the Group's
expectations of being on track to deliver full-year guidance, an accelerated Group performance, including further improvements in New Category contribution
margin, in the second half of the financial year ending 31 December 2025 and a return to the Group's mid-term algorithm in 2026; (ii) the statements under On
Track for Full-Year 2025 Guidance (page 2); (iii) statements in the Group Operating Review and the Category Performance Review sections (pages 3 to 4 and
pages 8 to 9) with respect to the Group's expectations of an accelerated New Categories performance and a continuing roll-out of Vuse Ultra and glo Hilo in the
second half of the financial year ending 31 December 2025; (iv) certain statements in the Other Financial Information section (pages 10 to 12), including the
Group's expectations of being within its narrowed leverage range of 2.0-2.5x adjusted net debt/adjusted EBITDA (as adjusted for Canada) by the end of 2026,
meeting or exceeding the operating cash conversion guidance of 90%, generating approximately £50 billion of free cash flow before dividends between 2024
and 2030, gross capital expenditure of approximately £650 million in 2025, its commitment to a progressive dividend based upon 65% of long-term sustainable
earnings and second-half weighted cash flow; (v) statements in the Other Information section (pages 12 to 14) regarding the implementation of the Approved
Plans in Canada, the related expectations of the Group to make an upfront payment of £2.6 billion in the second half of 2025, the Group's going concern
assessment and the generation of annualised cost efficiencies and cash flow of approximately £500 million by the end of 2028 in addition to £2 billion of
targeted savings between 2026 and 2030; (vi) the statement in the Other Information section (page 14) and in the Notes to the Unaudited Interim Financial
Statements section (page 25) referring to one-off costs of £500 million over two years; and (vii) statements in the Notes to the Unaudited Interim Financial
Statements section (pages 23 to 39) referring to the expected gross capital expenditure of £650 million in 2025, the Group's expectation that payments in
respect of its estimated share of the future liability under the Approved Plans will continue for at least 40 years, the Group's target of an average centrally
managed bond maturity of at least five years with no more than 20% of centrally managed debt maturing in a single rolling 12-month period and its medium-
target credit rating of Baa1, BBB+ and BBB+ from Moody's, S&P and Fitch, respectively, the Group's expectations and underlying assumptions with respect to
contingent liabilities and its repayment schedule under the Franked investment income litigation order.
These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe," "anticipate," "could," "may," "would," "should,"
"intend," "plan," "potential," "predict," "will," "expect," "estimate," "project," "positioned," "strategy," "outlook," "target" "being confident" and similar
expressions. These include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, amongst other things, our results of operations,
financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the economic and business circumstances occurring from time to time in the countries and
markets in which the British American Tobacco Group (the "Group") operates.
All such forward-looking statements involve estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors. It is believed that the
expectations reflected in this announcement are reasonable, but they may be affected by a wide range of variables that could cause actual results and
performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected in the forward-looking statements are uncertainties related to the following: the impact of competition from illicit trade; the impact of adverse
domestic or international legislation and regulation; the inability to develop, commercialise and deliver the Group's New Categories strategy; the impact of
supply chain disruptions; adverse litigation, external investigations and dispute outcomes and the effect of such outcomes on the Group's financial condition;
the impact of significant increases or structural changes in tobacco, nicotine and New Categories related taxes; translational and transactional foreign exchange
rate exposure; changes or differences in domestic or international economic or political conditions; the ability to maintain credit ratings and to fund the
business under the current capital structure; the impact of serious injury, illness or death in the workplace; adverse decisions by domestic or international
regulatory bodies; direct and indirect adverse impacts associated with Climate Change; direct and indirect adverse impacts associated with Circularity; and
Cyber Security caused by the heightened cyber-threat landscape, the increased digital interactions with consumers and changes to regulation.
A review of the reasons why actual results and developments may differ materially from the expectations disclosed or implied within forward-looking
statements can be found by referring to the information contained under the headings "Cautionary statement", "Group Principal Risks" and "Group Risk
Factors" in the 2024 Annual Report and Accounts and Form 20-F of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT). Additional information concerning these and other
factors can be found in BAT's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Annual Report on Form 20-F and Current Reports on
Form 6-K, which may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov and the BAT website, http://www.bat.com.
No statement in this announcement is intended to be a profit forecast and no statement in this communication should be interpreted to mean that earnings
per share of BAT for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per share of BAT. Past
performance is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser. The forward-looking statements
reflect knowledge and information available at the date of preparation of this announcement and BAT undertakes no obligation to update or revise these
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such
forward-looking statements.
All financial statements and financial information provided by or with respect to the U.S. or Reynolds American are initially prepared on the basis of U.S. GAAP
and constitute the primary financial statements or financial records of the U.S./Reynolds American. This financial information is then converted to International
Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the IASB and as adopted for use in the UK (IFRS) for the purpose of consolidation within the results of the Group. To
the extent any such financial information provided in this announcement relates to the U.S. or Reynolds American it is provided as an explanation of, or
supplement to, Reynolds American's primary U.S. GAAP based financial statements and information.
Our products as sold in the U.S., including Vuse, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus are subject to FDA regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as
to these products without agency clearance.
31 July 2025
Sponsor: Merrill Lynch South Africa (Pty) Ltd t/a BofA Securities
Date: 31-07-2025 08:00:00
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