Regulatory Update, Takeover Bid Withdrawal, Lending Policy Changes, Earnings Release, and Appointments - Analyst Notes on British American Tobacco, AstraZeneca, Lloyds Banking, SABmiller and Rio Tinto

LONDON, June 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Editor Note: For more information about this release, please scroll to bottom.

Today, Earnings Review released its analysts' notes regarding British American Tobacco (LON: BATS), AstraZeneca Plc. (LON: AZN), Lloyds Banking Group Plc. (LON: LLOY), SABmiller Plc. (LON: SAB) and Rio Tinto Plc. (LON: RIO). Private wealth members receive these notes ahead of publication. To reserve complementary membership, limited openings are available at: http://earnings-review.com/3264-100free.

British American Tobacco Analyst Notes
On May 29, 2014, British American Tobacco (British American Tobacco) urged the World Health Organisation (WHO) not to classify e-cigarettes as tobacco products. The Company believes that doing so would hamper the growth and development of such less risky nicotine products. The statement, released in recognition of World No Tobacco Day, called for Governments to adopt a policy of 'Tobacco Harm Reduction' as a more progressive approach to tobacco regulation. Citing a Financial Times report dated April 13, 2014, which suggested that e-cigarettes could be classified as tobacco products by the WHO, the Company said that such a move would see countries eventually restricting demand for e-cigarettes by raising taxes, curbing advertisements, and banning use in public places. "If e-cigarettes are classified as tobacco products, then the associated regulatory hurdles will mean smokers will find it harder to access less risky alternatives," said Kingsley Wheaton, Director of Corporate & Regulatory Affairs at British American Tobacco. The full analyst notes on British American Tobacco are available to download free of charge at:

http://earnings-review.com/3264-BATS-03Jun2014.pdf

AstraZeneca Plc. Analyst Notes
On May 26, 2014, AstraZeneca Plc. (AstraZeneca) informed that U.S.-based drug maker Pfizer finally withdrew its bid to acquire the Company. Pfizer, whose final takeover bid was due to expire that same day as per the UK Takeover Codes, announced that it does not intend to make an offer after AstraZeneca's Board rejected its final £55-per-share offer on May 19, 2014. Pfizer's proposal comprised of £24.76 in cash (45%) and 1.747 Pfizer shares (55%) per AstraZeneca share, representing a value of £55.00 per AstraZeneca share. However, AstraZeneca's Board had rejected the proposal saying "it undervalues the Company and its attractive prospects." Leif Johansson, Chairman of AstraZeneca, said, "We note Pfizer's confirmation that it no longer intends to make an offer for AstraZeneca. We welcome the opportunity to continue building on the momentum we have already demonstrated as an independent company." The full analyst notes on AstraZeneca are available to download free of charge at:

http://earnings-review.com/3264-AZN-03Jun2014.pdf

Lloyds Banking Group Plc. Analyst Notes
On May 20, 2014, Lloyds Banking Group Plc. (Lloyds Banking) announced that it will limit the mortgage lending to a maximum of four times a borrower's annual earnings, in cases where the loan is worth over £500,000 on a property in UK. Lloyds Banking stated that the move was designed to address specific inflationary pressures in the London housing market where current house prices are nearly 30% above the 2007 peak, owing to supply issues. Lloyds Banking further informed that the new policy will be applied in addition to its usual affordability assessment and the Company expects the policy change to affect approximately 8% of its lending in London. Stephen Noakes, Group Director of Mortgages said, "This prudent update to our lending policies is intended to manage risks to our business and for our customers." The full analyst notes on Lloyds Banking are available to download free of charge at:

http://earnings-review.com/3264-LLOY-03Jun2014.pdf

SABmiller Plc. Analyst Notes
On May 22, 2014, SABmiller Plc. (SABmiller) reported its preliminary results for FY 2014 (period ended March 31, 2014). SABmiller registered a decline of 0.8% YoY in FY 2014 group net producer revenue to $26.7 billion, partially attributable to the political tensions in Mozambique. Weighed down by adverse foreign exchange fluctuations, SABMiller posted FY 2014 EBITDA of $6.45 billion, a growth of 1.2% YoY. The reported EBITDA, however, managed to surpass the Reuters average analyst forecast of $6.41 billion. The depreciation of key currencies against the US dollar impacted the reported EBITDA by around $400 million, said the Company. SABmiller posted adjusted earnings of $3.9 million, up 2.47% YoY, as compared to FY 2013 earnings of $3.8 million. Besides, the Company also announced the launch of new cost-cutting programme aimed at saving $500 million by FY 2018. The full analyst notes on SABmiller are available to download free of charge at:

http://earnings-review.com/3264-SAB-03Jun2014.pdf

Rio Tinto Plc. Analyst Notes
On May 29, 2014, Rio Tinto Plc. (Rio Tinto) announced the appointment of Michael L'Estrange AO as a non-executive Board Director, with effect from September 1, 2014. The Company informed that Michael L'Estrange will also join the nominations committee. Rio Tinto stated that Michael is presently the Head of College for the National Security College at the Australian National University in Canberra and a Director of the University of Notre Dame, Australia. Confirming the news, Jan du Plessis, Chairman, Rio Tinto, said, "I am delighted to welcome Michael L'Estrange to the Rio Tinto board. He is a highly-regarded individual with an impressive academic and public policy background. Michael has nearly 30 years of distinguished public service experience in Australia, and brings to our board a wealth of expertise in foreign policy, international relations and trade. His appointment further reinforces the significance of Australia to Rio Tinto's global operations." The full analyst notes on Rio Tinto are available to download free of charge at:

http://earnings-review.com/3264-RIO-03Jun2014.pdf

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