British American Tobacco Plans Stake Disposal in India's ITC
British American Tobacco (BAT) is actively working to sell some of its 29% stake in India's ITC, signaling a move towards resuming share buybacks and sending its shares up almost 8%. The company aims to reduce debt and move towards the leverage range for buybacks, with the CEO stating that a 25% stake is required for veto rights. BAT's dividend, up 2% on last year, remained intact, and the company reported a 5.2% rise in adjusted diluted earnings per share, slightly beating analyst expectations.