A 7.7% dividend yield makes shares in British American Tobacco (LSE:BATS) an apparent selection for buyers in search of passive earnings. And it’s been very constant lately.

Over the past 5 years, the agency has returned £11.40 per share in dividends, so buyers who purchased the inventory in March 2020 have gotten round 37% of their money again. However can it proceed?

Enterprise overview

British American Tobacco’s an organization of two elements. The primary is the combustibles enterprise and the second is the brand new merchandise class, which incorporates headed tobacco and nicotine pouches. 

In the mean time, the standard enterprise generates robust money flows. However it’s no secret that the long-term outlook for cigarettes isn’t constructive and decline might be inevitable right here. 

Then again, the brand new classes division is rising. Nonetheless, it’s a good distance off producing the type of money flows which may maintain the dividend over the long run. 

Buyers want to consider one large query. Can cigarette volumes maintain up for lengthy sufficient to permit the brand new merchandise to develop right into a enterprise that may justify the present market-cap?

Cigarettes

In 2024, issues held up okay within the combustibles a part of the corporate. Regardless of gross sales volumes falling, natural revenues got here in roughly consistent with the earlier 12 months. 

It’s price noting nonetheless, that this was largely the results of substantial declines within the US being offset by development elsewhere. And there are potential difficulties forward within the subsequent 12 months.

British American Tobacco is anticipating regulatory challenges in Bangladesh and Australasia to weigh on gross sales in these areas in 2025. This could possibly be a big problem for cigarette volumes.

With combustibles producing £21bn in gross sales, minor declines are nearly definitely priced into the inventory. However I don’t suppose buyers can afford to disregard the early indicators of decline. 

New classes

Progress within the new classes division was (unsurprisingly) quite a bit stronger. Total, this got here in at nearly 9%, however there have been some way more spectacular outcomes beneath the floor.

The product I’ve been keeping track of is Velo – the agency’s nicotine pouch. Given the success of Zyn (the same product from Philip Morris) I feel that is the place buyers ought to be focusing. Velo volumes elevated by 56% in 2024. However the scale of the problem forward turns into clear with the actual fact this resulted in revenues of £790m, within the context of a £67bn firm.

All the new classes division introduced in £3.5bn in revenues, representing 9% development. However buyers must also pay attention to regulatory threat even for non-combustible merchandise. 

It’s sophisticated

There are two methods a passive earnings investor may take with British American Tobacco shares. One is to think about shopping for the inventory early, earlier than cigarette gross sales fall away by an excessive amount of. The opposite is to attend and search for sustained development from the brand new merchandise earlier than making a call. The concept could be to restrict the chance by getting a clearer thought of the long-term outlook.

Both is likely to be defensible, however neither is clearly a good suggestion. Regulatory dangers introduce lots of uncertainty and I feel passive earnings buyers have higher alternatives to think about elsewhere.